Le Croque Monsieur, the ever affordable Parisian classic, is quite simply a hot ham and cheese (typically Emmental or Gruyère) grilled sandwich with a slight attitude. I was told by a Parisien who “knows” a lot about the little things which make-up the vas-et-viens de la vie quotidienne in Paris that the sandwich in question is such a staple that the government was obliged to regulate a set price thus making it more affordable for the French masses and also keeping away the ill winds of revolution and the general discontent of  French stomachs everywhere.  
Now my question, du jour, regarding this simple, but highly regulated sandwich, is exactly when did the Monsieur appear on menus in Parisien bistros and cafés? I had to research this burning question by visiting our nation’s capital and found that according to the Larousse Gastronomique, the Bible of Gastronomy,  the sandwich’s first recorded appearance was in 1910 and its earliest mention in literature appears to have been in Volume Two of Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past (À la Recherche du Temps Perdu, please, in 1918.) There seems to have been some culinary progression in the literary world as it shifted ever so slightly from a little madeleine to a Croque Monsieur! So now we know a little bit more about the history behind this noble sandwich. One final word, history has not been very kind to the Croque Monsieur as you can now find a “Croque McDo” sandwich at McDonald’s locations throughout France. Apparently Monsieur Ronald McDo is found everywhere grinning and spouting lunch deals to kiddies in French. Sad, but true. At least I hope they serve the Croque McDo with a nice Côtes du Rhône.

There are about as many variations to preparing a Croque Monsieur as there are red wines in France. The last time I had Croque Monsieur along with a demi of red, I was sitting at an open air restaurant somewhere along the Champs Elysee in early Fall. It was a wonderful time of the year, no strikes (yet), the children thankfully were all back in school for la rentrée scolaire thus leaving only a few hundred thousands tourists ogling at each other. It was a delicious sandwich for a perfectly quiet day in Paris.

Here is a simple, no fuss no nonsense recipe and one you can easily put together and enjoy as a snack just before bedtime.

Ingredients:
8 slices white bread
4 ounces butter, softened
4 slices ham
4 slices gruyere cheese
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon water
salt
fresh ground black pepper
Dijon mustard
Directions:
Spread the bread with some of the softened butter, make 4 sandwiches, each with one slice of ham and one slice of cheese. Lightly brush (some choose to smear) each side with mustard. Press them firmly together.

Beat the eggs with the water, add the salt and pepper to taste, and dip the sandwiches into the egg mixture, coating all sides well.

Heat the rest of the butter in a heavy- bottomed frying pan/skillet, when it has melted and is very hot – but not brown, fry the sandwiches for about 5 – 8 minutes, turning once.

Serve immediately
Serves 4

A variation on a theme – A Croque Madame

When Monsieur is served with either a poached egg or a fried egg, he becomes a Croque Madame. In  parts of Normandy it is referred to as a croque-à-cheval. No need to read anything into the horse reference, I  think.