Croque-monsieur

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Croque-monsieur
Sandwich
Place of origin:
France
Serving temperature:
Hot
Main ingredient(s):
Bread, ham, cheese (typically Emmental or Gruyère), béchamel sauce
Variations:
Croque-madame
Recipes at Wikibooks:
 Croque-monsieur
Media at Wikimedia Commons:
  Croque-monsieur
A croque madame sandwich
A croque provençal sandwich
A croque gagnet sandwich

A croque-monsieur (French pronunciation: ​[kʁɔk məsˈjøː]) is a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. It originated in French cafés and bars as a quick snack. Typically, Emmental or Gruyère cheese is used.

The name is based on the verb croquer ("to crunch") and the word monsieur ("mister"). The sandwich's first recorded appearance on a Parisian café menu was in 1910.[1] Its earliest mention in literature appears to be in volume two of Proust's In Search of Lost Time in 1918.[2]

Variations

A croque-monsieur served with a fried egg or poached egg on top is known as a croque-madame[3] (or in parts of Normandy a croque-à-cheval). Many dictionaries attribute the name to the egg resembling an old fashioned woman's hat. According to the Petit Robert dictionary, the name dates to around 1960. The name croque-mademoiselle is associated with many different sandwiches, from diet recipes to desserts.[4]

A ham and cheese sandwich snack, very similar to the croque-monsieur though not containing any béchamel, is called a tosti in the Netherlands, and toast (pronounced "tost") in Italy. Similarly, in England a ham and cheese hot snack is called a 'toastie', and toastie makers are available to buy. In the United States, the Monte Cristo, a ham-and-cheese sandwich often dipped in egg and fried, is popular diner fare. A version of this sandwich in Spain replaces the ham with sobrassada, a soft sausage from the Balearic Islands that can be easily spread. In Catalonia it is known as a bikini.[5]

Versions of the sandwich with substitutions or additional ingredients are given names modelled on the original croque-monsieur, for example:

  • croque provençal (with tomato)[6]
  • croque auvergnat (with bleu d'Auvergne cheese)[7]
  • croque gagnet (with Gouda cheese and andouille sausage)
  • croque norvégien (with smoked salmon instead of ham)[8]
  • croque tartiflette (with sliced potatoes and Reblochon cheese)[9]
  • croque bolognese / croque Boum-Boum (with Bolognese sauce)
  • croque señor (with tomato salsa)
  • croque Hawaiian (with a slice of pineapple)
  • the "Croque McDo" sandwich at McDonald's locations in France[10]

The noted French chef Jacques Pepin also makes a version using chicken instead of ham,[11] which he demonstrated in the "Our Favorite Sandwiches"[12] episode on the PBS series (and its coordinating cookbook of the same title) Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home in which he worked with Julia Child.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Montagné, Prosper; Charlotte Snyder Turgeon and Nina Froud (1961). Larousse Gastronomique. New York City: Crown Publishing Group. ISBN 0-517-50333-6. OCLC 413918. 
  2. ↑ (French) Entry in the on-line Trésor de la langue française.
  3. ↑ Dictionnaire général pour la maîtrise de la langue française, la culture classique et contemporaine. Paris: Larousse. 1993. p. 405. ISBN 2-03-320300-X. OCLC 29916226. 
  4. ↑ Recette Croque Mademoiselle
  5. ↑ http://www.iberianature.com/spainblog/a-guide-to-food-in-spain-b/bikini/
  6. ↑ http://frenchfood.about.com/od/toprecipes/a/croquelist.htm
  7. ↑ Downie, David (23 July 2000). "Bread Winner". Los Angeles Times. 
  8. ↑ http://judicialpeach.com/2009/05/31/croque-norvegien/
  9. ↑ http://frenchfood.about.com/od/toprecipes/a/croquelist.htm
  10. ↑ Time. 1 November 2010 http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/11/02/ready-for-the-mcrib-our-ten-favorite-mcfoods/croque/ |url= missing title (help). 
  11. ↑ Pepin, Jacques; Julia Child, David Nussbaum (September 1999). "Jacques's Croque Madame Recipe". Epicurious. Retrieved 1 October 2010. 
  12. ↑ "104: Our Favorite Sandwiches". Julia and Jacques: Cooking at Home: The Episodes. Retrieved 1 October 2010. 
Cheese dishes
Varieties
Sandwiches
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