Croque Monsieur Bites Turn The Classic Sandwich Into A Crowd-Pleasing App

Is there any better combo than ham and cheese? Well, yes: ham, cheese, and puff pastry. Oh, and a creamy béchamel sauce... we’ll explain. We took the croque monsieur, a classic French sandwich made with toasty bread, melty cheese, salty ham, and a silky béchamel, and turned it into an appetizer that hits all the high notes: buttery, crispy, creamy, cheesy, salty, and a little nutty. While we understand that French cuisine certainly needs no adaptations, we couldn’t help but layer this magical combination of Gruyère, Swiss, ham, and béchamel into flaky, handheld puff pastry cups.

Once you’ve used up one sheet of puff pastry to make these croque monsieur bites, don’t forget to put the other sheet to good use with one of our puff pastry appetizers. If you find yourself polishing off the last of these savory treats (we can’t blame you), use whatever ingredients you have leftover to make this croque monsieur breakfast casserole. The more ham and cheese, the better.

Did you try making this? Let us know how it went in the comments!

Yields: 12 servings

Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins

Ingredients

• Cooking spray

• 1 tbsp.

  all-purpose flour, plus more for surface

• 1

  (14-oz.) sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

• 1

  large egg

• 1/2 c.

  whole milk

• 2 tbsp.

  heavy cream

• 1 tbsp.

  unsalted butter

• 1 tsp.

  Dijon mustard

• 1/4 tsp.

  kosher salt

• 1/8 tsp.

  freshly ground black pepper

• 1/8 tsp.

  ground nutmeg

• 1 1/3 c.

  shredded Gruyère

• 2/3 c.

  shredded Swiss cheese

• 1/4 lb.

  sliced deli ham

• 1/2 c.

  finely grated Parmesan

• Chopped fresh thyme, for serving

Directions

1. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray. On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry to a 12" x 10" rectangle, then cut into 12 squares. Gently stretch one pastry square to make it a bit bigger, then press into bottom and up sides of a prepared cup. Repeat with remaining squares. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg and 1 tablespoon water to make an egg wash; brush a thin layer over the pastry dough. Refrigerate until ready to use.

2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook milk and cream until just warmed through, about 2 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in another small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until smooth and lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. In a slow, steady stream, pour warm milk mixture into butter mixture, whisking while you pour. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in mustard, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

4. In a medium bowl, combine Gruyère and Swiss cheeses. Spread 1 teaspoon béchamel sauce in bottom of each pastry cup. Tear a piece of ham to fit bottom of muffin cup and place over béchamel (if the ham you’re using is particularly thin, use 2 layers). Top with 1 tablespoon cheese mixture, followed by another layer of ham, and another 1 tablespoon cheese mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Refrigerate until cold, about 10 minutes.

5. Preheat oven to 400°. Bake croque monsieur bites until pastry is golden brown and cheese is bubbling, 20 to 23 minutes.

6. Place pan on a wire rack and let cool 5 to 10 minutes. Using a small offset spatula or dull knife. release pastries from sides of cups and carefully remove from pan. Transfer to a platter. Top with thyme and serve warm.

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