Madam, Croque Monsieur, Eiffel towel, croissants, Monte Cristo, good wine, delicious cheese – what do these things have in common?
Can you guess? It’s France!
Here we’ll focus on french food, precisely on these two sandwiches – Croque Monsieur and Monte Cristo.
So, let’s solve the mystery – Monte Cristo vs Croque Monsieur – where is the difference and why they are so popular? Read our article, find the recipes, recreate them and enjoy one (or both) of these delicious sandwiches.
IN THIS ARTICLE:
What is a Croque Monsieur Sandwich?
Croque Monsieur sandwich has a really funny name. That literally means “Mister Crunch” and it is a classic French bar snack. It is a hot sandwich made with ham and cheese on thin slices of white bread.
Traditionally, it is made with baked or boiled ham and sliced cheese. Then it’s topped with grated cheese, salted, peppered and then baked in the oven or fried in a pan. It can be dipped in beaten egg and coated in breadcrumbs before cooking or frying.
Since it’s very easy to prepare, this sandwich works great for breakfast or brunch. Follow the recipe and enjoy!
Melt 1/4 cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Gradually stir the flour into the butter. Add small portions of the cream and wine alternately, whisking after each addition to thickening before introducing the next amount.
Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Melt the cheese into the liquid in small amounts, stirring continually. Reduce heat to low and keep sauce warm until used.
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spread 1/2 teaspoon of butter on one side of each slice of bread; spread about 1/2 tablespoon of Dijon mustard on the opposite side of each slice.
Assemble the sandwiches by placing four slices of bread, buttered side down, into the skillet. Top each slice of bread with two slices of ham folded to completely fit on the bread; spoon equal amounts of the cheese sauce over the ham, reserving some of the sauce for later.
Place the remaining slices of bread, mustard side down, atop the ham and cheese. Grill the sandwiches on each side until the bread is an even, golden brown color.
Spoon a little of the cheese sauce on top of each sandwich before serving.
Garnish each sandwich with 1 teaspoon of parsley.
Ingredients
Directions
Melt 1/4 cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Gradually stir the flour into the butter. Add small portions of the cream and wine alternately, whisking after each addition to thickening before introducing the next amount.
Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Melt the cheese into the liquid in small amounts, stirring continually. Reduce heat to low and keep sauce warm until used.
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spread 1/2 teaspoon of butter on one side of each slice of bread; spread about 1/2 tablespoon of Dijon mustard on the opposite side of each slice.
Assemble the sandwiches by placing four slices of bread, buttered side down, into the skillet. Top each slice of bread with two slices of ham folded to completely fit on the bread; spoon equal amounts of the cheese sauce over the ham, reserving some of the sauce for later.
Place the remaining slices of bread, mustard side down, atop the ham and cheese. Grill the sandwiches on each side until the bread is an even, golden brown color.
Spoon a little of the cheese sauce on top of each sandwich before serving.
Garnish each sandwich with 1 teaspoon of parsley.
What about Croque Madame?
If Croque Monsieur is served with a poached or lightly fried egg on top, then that kind of sandwich is called Croque Madame.
But there is more, you can find Croque Madamoiselle – it is a lighter, vegetarian version of this sandwich.
What is a Monte Cristo Sandwich?
The Monte Cristo sandwich is a French-style toast sandwich. This sandwich is named after The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas’s adventure novel.
It is actually a variation of the French Croque Monsieur sandwich. This sandwich is salty, cheesy, sweet and buttery – very, very delicious. So if you love a sweet-savory combo, this sandwich will leave you speechless. Literally.
Recipes for this sandwich vary both regionally and by the cook, so you can find (and make) many variations of this popular snack. It’s up to you how you’d like to eat it.
Usually, it is an egg-dipped or butter-dipped ham and cheese sandwich that can be panned or deep-fried. Its popularity explodes after Disneyland started to serve it. Mostly, it is dusted with powdered sugar and served with jelly or jam on the side.
Making a Monte Cristo sandwich is very easy and there is the recipe below. Try it!
Soften 1 tablespoon of butter and very lightly butter one side of two slices of the bread, and both sides of the third slice of bread.
Spread mustard onto the unbuttered side of one slice of bread, and 1 teaspoon of jam or jelly onto the unbuttered side of the final slice.
Assemble the sandwich in this order: 1 ounce of Swiss on top of the mustard, followed by the ham, the slice of fully buttered bread, turkey, 1 ounce of Swiss, and the remaining slice of bread, jelly side down.
Loosely wrap the sandwich with plastic wrap and weigh it down with a grill press or skillet for 3-5 minutes.
Whisk together egg, milk, salt, and nutmeg. Dip the sandwich into the egg mixture, until some of the liquid absorbs into the bread.
Melt together vegetable oil and remaining butter in a skillet.
Cook 3-4 minutes per side until the sandwich is golden and the cheese is melted.
Transfer to paper towels to drain.
Heat remaining jam or jelly until warmed. Dust sandwich with confectioner’s sugar, slice in half, and serve with jelly on the side.
Ingredients
Directions
Soften 1 tablespoon of butter and very lightly butter one side of two slices of the bread, and both sides of the third slice of bread.
Spread mustard onto the unbuttered side of one slice of bread, and 1 teaspoon of jam or jelly onto the unbuttered side of the final slice.
Assemble the sandwich in this order: 1 ounce of Swiss on top of the mustard, followed by the ham, the slice of fully buttered bread, turkey, 1 ounce of Swiss, and the remaining slice of bread, jelly side down.
Loosely wrap the sandwich with plastic wrap and weigh it down with a grill press or skillet for 3-5 minutes.
Whisk together egg, milk, salt, and nutmeg. Dip the sandwich into the egg mixture, until some of the liquid absorbs into the bread.
Melt together vegetable oil and remaining butter in a skillet.
Cook 3-4 minutes per side until the sandwich is golden and the cheese is melted.
Transfer to paper towels to drain.
Heat remaining jam or jelly until warmed. Dust sandwich with confectioner’s sugar, slice in half, and serve with jelly on the side.
What is the Difference Between a Croque Monsieur and a Monte Cristo Sandwich?
After reading about each of these sandwiches, here we’ll show you how they are similar and where is the difference between them.
As you already read, both are French sandwiches that are traditionally served in cafés and patisseries throughout France and Switzerland.
While Monte Cristo and Croque Monsieur both contain ham and Gruyere cheese, when it comes to the difference, Monte Cristo is actually a Croque Monsieur sandwich but dipped in egg batter, deep-fried and dusted with powdered sugar.
Meaning the Monte Cristo sandwich is basically a Croque Monsieur with a little something extra. If you made a Croque Monsieur sandwich, but change your mind and want Monte Cristo, just dip it into an egg batter, deep fry it and add a little bit of powdered sugar. That’s it, a whole new sandwich and taste.
They offer different tastes, but we recommend trying out both.
For both sandwiches, use Gruyere or Swiss chees, they go the best with ham. Although the cheddar is the most classic option for this kind of sandwich, so it’s up to you.
Of course, there are a zillion sandwich recipes out there, so both of these sandwiches have a million variants.
To Wrap It Up
Both Monte Cristo and Croque Monsieur sandwiches are traditional French sandwiches that are served as a quick snack. You can prepare them easily and eat them for breakfast or afternoon snacks. There is just a little difference between them.
