Mini Croque Monsieurs
Servings: 6 to 12
Ingredients
For the Béchamel:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon flour plus more for dusting the board
- ⅔ cup whole milk plus more as needed
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ tsp fresh thyme plus more for garnish
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
For the Cheese Mix:
- ½ cup finely grated gruyere cheese
- ½ cup finely grated swiss cheese
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme, plus more for serving
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
For Assembly:
- One [14-oz] puff pastry sheet thawed in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight before using; see note for gluten-free
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 6 slices smoked deli ham diced small (about ½ pound)
- 3 teaspoons fresh thyme
Instructions
- Make sure your puff pastry is thawed.
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Spray a muffin tin generously with cooking oil spray and set aside.
Make the Béchamel:
- In a small saucepan, add the butter and turn the heat to medium. Once the butter is melted, add the flour. Whisk, until the mixture is smooth and foamy, and smells slightly toasty, cooking for about 1-2 minutes. While whisking, slowly pour in the milk, stirring to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking constantly, until the mixture has thickened and there are no clumps. The sauce should be about the consistency of an alfredo sauce.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the salt, thyme, and Dijon mustard. Allow the bechamel to cool entirely before you assemble. After it cools, if the sauce looks too thick, I like to whisk in 2 to 3 tablespoons of milk to thin it out.
Make the Cheese Mix:
- In a small bowl, mix together the gruyere, swiss, garlic powder, dried thyme, and pepper. Set aside.
Assemble:
- Remove your puff pastry from the fridge. Dust your working surface lightly with flour. Unfold the puff pastry on your surface and lightly roll out the pastry, just until the fold lines are less visible. Using a sharp knife, cut along the border of the pastry so you have straight edges. Cut the pastry into 12 3” x 3” squares.
- Place a square in each muffin tin, pressing down with your fingers to form the pastry into the tin, making a mini crust. Add 1 teaspoon of Dijon to each tin. Using a pastry brush, spread the Dijon around the bottom of each cup and up the sides of the pastry until the bottom is entirely coated.
- To each muffin cup, add about 2 tablespoons of chopped ham, 2 teaspoons of bechamel, and 1 heaping tablespoon of the cheese mixture. Garnish each cup with an extra piece of ham on top of the cheese and sprinkle with fresh thyme.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 20-22 minutes, minutes until the pastry is golden on all sides and the cheese is bubbly. Allow the pastries to cool entirely before carefully removing them from the tin.
Notes
Sauce Note: When making the bechamel sauce, if your sauce seems overly thick, add more milk, 2 tablespoons at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency. It also might get too thick as it sits to cool. You can thin it out when it’s cooled by whisking in 2 to 3 tablespoons of milk.
Gluten-Free Note: If you are gluten-free, you can use gluten-free puff pastry and swap in cassava or gluten-free all-purpose flour for the flour in this recipe. Please note that gluten-free puff pastry does not typically get as flakey, but will still be delightful.