croque monsieur.

To say that this is the ham and cheese sandwich of all ham and cheese sandwiches would still not be enough.

I’ve been dying to make it for such a long time. Seeing it on “It’s Complicated” with Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin (great movie, by the way) reminded me of my plans to make the French bistro classic at home.

The idea of it is just everything I could ever want for two pieces of bread.

To start, there’s tons and tons of melty Gruyère – which is one of my absolute favorite types of cheese. A thick, rich Béchamel sauce loaded with even more Gruyère is poured right over the sandwich before it gets covered in cheese; then, off it goes into the oven where the top gets broiled to a golden-brown perfection. This is the beauty of the sandwich: Whereas a regular grilled cheese holds its namesake ingredient in its middle, here the cheese is mostly on the outside, lending itself to that crispy-crackling we all love so much. And yes, there’s ham too – and though it’s not the star of the show, it does add a nice saltiness that contrasts with the mild nuttiness of the cheese.

Where does the name come from? Well, croquer means “to crunch or crisp”, and monsieur means “mister”, but that’s about as far as the explanation goes. No one is exactly sure where it originated, but it’s been a mainstay on the menus of countless French cafés for decades. It’s frequently made on the stove in a frying pan, like many French recipes. I do like, however, that Ina’s version below uses the oven – it’s simple and easy to clean up. Traditional versions may not include a Béchamel, and are thus more similar to a classic grilled cheese. You can also add a fried or poached egg on top, and you have yourself a croque madame – which sounds pretty incredible, as a fried egg improves just about anything in my book.

Be sure you don’t use too much cheese inside the sandwich, or it won’t melt properly; most of the cheese, as mentioned above, should go on top of the sandwich. Also, you need to make sure your Béchamel covers all of the edges of the bread so that when it goes under the broiler, the edges don’t burn like mine did.

Serve with a simple green salad and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, and I’m in heaven as far as lunch goes.

Or dinner, for that matter.

Croque Monsieur

From Ina Garten

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups hot milk
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch nutmeg
• 12 ounces Gruyère, grated (5 cups)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 16 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
• Dijon mustard
• 8 ounces ham, thinly sliced {I used Black Forest}

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan and add the flour all at once, stirring with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Slowly pour the hot milk into the butter–flour mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thickened. Off the heat add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup grated Gruyère, and the Parmesan and set aside.

To toast the bread, place the slices on 2 baking sheets and bake for 5 minutes. Turn each slice and bake for another 2 minutes, until toasted.

Lightly brush half the toasted breads with mustard, add a slice of ham to each, and sprinkle with half the remaining Gruyère. Top with another piece of toasted bread. Slather the tops with the cheese sauce, sprinkle with the remaining Gruyère, and bake the sandwiches for 5 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and lightly browned. Serve hot.

Makes 8 small sandwiches, depending on the type of bread you use.