Easy Ham and Cheese Brioche Toastie (Croque Monsieur)

Name: Easy toasted ham and cheese sandwich (Cheat's Croque Monsieur)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 2 slices brioche bread; 1 egg; 1 tbsp milk; 3 slices Princes canned ham; 20 g mozzarella (sliced); 20 g hard cheese (e.g. cheddar) (sliced); salt and pepper (to taste); butter (for frying)

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Published on January 18, 2017 by Helen 52 Comments
Last Updated on March 30, 2020

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Lift a run of the mill ham and cheese sandwich with this easy ham cheese toastie or Croque Monsieur, combining brioche eggy bread, stringy mozzarella cheese and versatile Princes canned ham.

A toastie – toasted sandwich – might be known as the staple of students and a hangover from 60s bedsit dwellers – the sandwich toaster itself must surely be past its glory days – but that doesn’t mean it has to be, or even should be, forgotten. A few minutes can take a ham and cheese sandwich from the essence of ordinary to something much more enticing; crunchy, gooey and oozing cheese.

Here, we’ve lifted the sandwich by using a nice light brioche bread: the added butter makes for a sinfully tasty sandwich, but it does mean that it joins the list of occasional treats rather than frequent staples. Rather than go with the traditional croque monsieur recipe using a bechamel sauce, we’ve decided to go for an eggy bread/french toast influence, and soak the bread in an egg and milk mixture. This means that we can cook our sandwich in a frying pan and get that lovely brown, crunchy layer on the outside. It’s better if you don’t cook it too fast, so that the heat has time to melt the cheese properly. The other advantage of this recipe is that it’s a lot faster than having to make a bechamel sauce, and when it comes to a snack like a toastie, speed is of essence.

The only thing you have to watch out for is that the soaked bread can be a little delicate. I just soak one side, which I use as the outside of each sandwich. And don’t stand on ceremony – once served, start eating almost immediately.

Pop over to Come Home to Princes, where you find lots of other recipes, including some more from me.

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Enjoy this toastie, combining brioche eggy bread, stringy mozzarella cheese and ham.

Print Recipe

4.86 from 27 votes

Easy toasted ham and cheese sandwich (Cheat's Croque Monsieur)

Lift a run of the mill ham and cheese sandwich with this easy ham and cheese toastie, combining brioche eggy bread, stringy mozzarella cheese and ham.

Servings: sandwich

Author: Helen Best-Shaw

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time5 mins

Total Time10 mins

Ingredients

2 slices brioche bread
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
3 slices Princes canned ham
20 g mozzarella (sliced)
20 g hard cheese (e.g. cheddar) (sliced)
salt and pepper (to taste)
butter (for frying)

Instructions

Beat the egg and milk together in a flat bowl, season with salt and pepper to taste, and soak the brioche – one side of each slice only.
Assemble the sandwich, with the soaked sides of bread outwards; a layer of ham topped by the cheese.
Fry gently over a medium heat until golden and the cheese has started to melt. Eat immediately!

• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.

Nutrition Facts

Easy toasted ham and cheese sandwich (Cheat's Croque Monsieur)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 750 Calories from Fat 423

% Daily Value*

Fat 47g72%

Saturated Fat 23g144%

Cholesterol 388mg129%

Sodium 1633mg71%

Potassium 289mg8%

Carbohydrates 38g13%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 41g82%

Vitamin A 1260IU25%

Calcium 333mg33%

Iron 2.3mg13%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Snack

Cuisine: British, French

Keyword: Easy Croque Monsieur

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Recipe feature of ham and cheese toastie commissioned by Princes. All opinions our own.

Lift a run of the mill ham and cheese sandwich with this easy ham cheese toastie or Croque Monsieur, combining brioche eggy bread, stringy mozzarella cheese and versatile Princes canned ham.

For another recipe based on cheese, make my Baked Feta and Tomatoes with Garlic.

A dish of baked feta and tomatoes, garnished with fresh herbs.

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