Croque-Monsieur

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups hot milk
• 2 tablespoons thyme leaves, chopped and divided
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups grated Gruyere cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 pound deli ham
• 8 sliced rustic bread (I used Italian)
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a saucepan, add the butter and heat over medium. As the butter melts, pour in the hot milk and whisk until thickened. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of thyme and the salt and pepper. Let sauce simmer for about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup of the Gruyere until melted. Set aside.
3. Lay out the bread slices on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven, a few minutes each side, until lightly toasted. Switch oven to broil.
4. Spread some mustard on 4 of the slices. Layer the ham on top and then divide 1 cup of the Gruyere amongst the four sandwiches. Add a slice of the toasted bread on top of each sandwich. Slater some of the bechamel on top of each sandwich and sprinkle the remaining Gruyere. Stick under the broiler for a 3-5 minutes until melted and bubbly, watching carefully to avoid burning. Slice and serve!