NEVER Use American Cheese Again — Try This Old French Trick

🎁 FREE: Get the first chapter of my cookbook "Cuisine de Grand-Mère" → https://colettemoreau.com/free-chapter 📖 Every recipe from my kitchen, written down for you: 140 French family recipes in Cuisine de Grand-Mère 👉 https://colettemoreau.com American cheese melts because it was built to. These real cheeses melt just as smooth, and my French grandmother knew the one moment at the stove that makes them creamy. Which cheese to buy for a smooth melt and which one for cheese strings, then a bubbling croque-monsieur and a burger to prove it. Which cheese to buy: Melts smooth, like the slice: mild or medium cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby, Havarti, young Gouda, fontina, raclette Gives strings: Emmental or Swiss, Gruyère, low-moisture mozzarella, provolone All flavor, melt it in a sauce: aged Gruyère, Comté, sharp cheddar Don't melt it: Parmesan, feta, goat cheese, cotija The croque-monsieur (2 sandwiches): 1. Grate your own cheese on the big holes of a box grater: 1/2 cup Gruyère or Comté for the sauce, 1/2 cup Emmental or Swiss for inside, 1/4 cup of both for the top. 2. Melt 1 1/2 tbsp butter over medium heat, whisk in 2 1/2 tbsp flour and cook about 1 minute, without color. 3. Whisk in 1 cup cold whole milk a little at a time. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes, whisking, until it coats a spoon. Season with nutmeg, pepper and only a pinch of salt. 4. Take the pot off the heat. When it stops bubbling, stir in the Gruyère one handful at a time. Let it rest a few minutes to thicken. 5. Heat the oven to 400°F, parchment on a baking sheet. Spread 1 tsp Dijon on each of 2 of 4 thick slices of day-old white sandwich bread, add 2 slices of ham each and the Emmental all the way to the edges, then close. 6. Spread the sauce over the tops, scatter the rest of the cheese, bake 10 to 12 minutes, then broil 1 to 2 minutes until bubbling and browned in spots. Rest about 3 minutes and cut while hot. A fried egg on top makes it a croque madame.