Jamón croque monsieur

This classic ham and cheese toasted sandwich is a winner for breakfast – or as a snack mid-afternoon or late at night, or at any other time of day. Guillaume Brahimi's recipe is bigger, better and more lavish, using slabs of the best sourdough, beaufort or gruyère cheese, and the finest Spanish ham (jamón ibérico) in lieu of authentic French ham. He toasts the sandwich in the oven for the maximum melt on the cheese and a gorgeously crisp exterior.

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• thick slices of good-quality white bread such as sourdough
• unsalted butter 
• thin slices of beaufort or gruyère 
• thin slices of jamón ibérico 
• freshly ground white pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Butter each slice of bread and turn half the slices butter-side down on a tray. Cover these with a layer of cheese and jamón, then repeat the layers. Season with pepper. Top with the remaining slices of bread (butter-side up). Place the tray in the oven and bake the sandwiches for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden and crisp.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.