This toastie has a fraction of the calories and fat of the traditional recipe, which uses full-fat cheese, white sauce, and real butter, but it tastes as good if not better. This is the ultimate ‘ham and cheese’ – the perfect toastie to warm you up on a cold day.
Method
Preheat the oven to 220°C, gas mark 7.
Lightly scrape the butter over both sides of the bread slices, as thinly as possible.
In a bowl, stir together the grated cheese, crème fraiche, mustard and the Worcestershire sauce (if using).
Divide the cheese mixture between the 2 slices of bread, covering if evenly right up to the edges. Top with the sliced ham and then cover with the remaining slices of bread.
Place the sandwiches on a baking sheet and cook in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes until the bread is appetizingly golden brown and the cheese has melted.
Cut the sandwiches in half or into quarters and serve immediately.
Variations
You can add 1 diced or sliced tomato or some finely chopped chilli to these toasted sandwiches. The tomato will add 10kcal per toastie, but the additional chilli calories will be negligible.
Croque monsieur is traditionally made with white bread but you could use 25g slices of wholemeal instead. The calories will not change.
You can grill the sandwiches instead of baking them in the oven, but the result will be crispier.
Vegetarians can omit the ham and add a slice of tomato instead, saving nearly 50kcal per portion.
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