Croque Monsieur

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter at room temperature
• 0.3 pound ham cooked very thinly sliced (see notes)
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard 
• 0.3 cup fat-skimmed chicken broth 
• 1 tablespoon flour all-purpose
• 1.5 cups fontina shredded
• 0.1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
• 2 tablespoons shallots minced
• 0.3 cup whipping cream 
• 8 slices bread white thick firm (each 4 in. square and)

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• oven
• whisk
• spatula

Directions

1. In a 10- to 12-inch nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat, stir shallots in 1 tablespoon butter. Stir often until golden, about 3 minutes.
2. Add flour; stir until blended.
3. Remove from heat and add broth and milk; whisk to blend well. Return to heat and whisk until mixture is boiling vigorously.
4. Remove from heat and add cheese and nutmeg; stir until cheese is melted.
5. Pour sauce into a bowl. Rinse and dry pan.
6. Lightly butter one side of each bread slice and lay buttered sides down on a board. Divide half the cheese sauce equally among 4 slices; spread sauce to edges.
7. Lay ham equally over sauce.
8. Spread mustard equally on unbuttered sides of remaining 4 bread slices; invert each onto a slice topped with ham.
9. Put frying pan on medium heat.
10. Lay two sandwiches in pan; cover and cook until well browned on the bottom. Turn with a spatula and brown other sides, about 4 minutes total.
11. Transfer sandwiches to a 10- by 15-inch pan and keep warm, uncovered, in a 200 oven. Repeat to cook remaining sandwiches. Spoon remaining cheese sauce equally over sandwiches; spread slightly over edges.
12. Broil sandwiches about 4 inches from heat until sauce is bubbling and lightly browned, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.