Breakfast in 10 minutes: a hot croque monsieur sandwich

In the section "Breakfast in 10 minutes," FoodOboz editors share recipes for simple dishes that take no more than ten minutes to prepare.

Today we suggest you make a croque monsieur, a hot ham and cheese sandwich popular in French cafes and bars. It is not known exactly where this name of the dish came from. One theory says that the phrase "croque monsieur" was formed from the French verb croquer (to crisp) and the address "monsieur."

To make croque monsieur, toasted bread, ham, and cheese are used, usually Emmenthal or Gruyere. These ingredients are used to form sandwiches, which are fried in a frying pan or baked in the oven. A variant of croque monsieur with an egg on top (lightly fried or poached) is called croque madame.

Ingredients for 1 serving:

• white bread - 2 slices
• lean ham - 3 slices
• hard grated cheese - 100-150 g
• oil

How to cook:

1. Put slices of ham on the bread in several layers, and sprinkle with half the cheese. Cover with a second slice of bread.
2. Put the bread on a preheated and oiled frying pan, and fry until golden brown.
3. Turn the sandwich over, and sprinkle grated cheese on the fried side.
4. Cover and fry over low heat until the cheese is melted.

If you don't want a fried sandwich, preheat the oven to maximum, put the finished sandwich in a baking dish, and bake for about 10 minutes until the cheese begins to bubble.