The French have a way of elevating simple cuisine, including sandwiches. Take the Croque Madame and Monsieur. At their core, these tasty creations are just melted ham and cheese sandwiches , yet the specific ingredients and careful crafting make them feel fancy.
Ultimately, the French are doing something right, especially considering these meals have been served at restaurants for over a century. But if you've ever seen them side-by-side on a bistro menu, you may have wondered, what's the difference? The Croque Madame and Monsieur aren't simply two names for the same meal: Madame means "misses," and monsieur means "mister," while croque means "crunch." So you've got a mister crunch and a misses crunch.
Both of these French culinary staples consist of two slices of thick bread with sliced ham, bechamel, and emmental or gruyere cheese. However, there's a crucial difference between the two: The madame has a fried or poached egg on top, while the monsieur does not. It's all about eggs Rumor has it that it's called a "madame" since the fried egg resembles a woman's hat.
Meanwhile, the Croque Monsieur's bread is often dipped into a beaten egg before being cooked, similar to how you'd make French toast. Croque Monsieurs are then baked in the oven or fried so the bread takes on that deliciously eggy flavor. There are ways to jazz up these sandwiches; most people add cheese and bake it to create a crispy, cheesy topcoat.
Drizzling the sandwich in béchamel sauce is also a popular cho.