Croque Monsieur

 I tried to make these years ago and it wasn't very good.  I had all the ingredients (after making some fresh bread) on hand so we tried it again.  

Melt 2 1/2 tbs of butter in a small saucepan 

Whisk and stir in 2 1/2 tbs of flour

Add in 1 1/3 c warmed milk and cooked over medium low heat until it thickens, about 4-5 minutes

Season with salt, white pepper, 1 tsp dijon mustard, nutmeg, and chives

Top 4 slices of good bread with a healthy amount of your sauce and top with ham and gruyere

Put the other 4 pieces of bread on top and add some more bechamel to each sandwich

Add some more gruyere and parmesan cheese

Bake at 400 from 12-15 minutes and then move up to the broiler to make the cheese bubbly and lightly brown

To make a Croque Madame, add a poached or sunny side up egg on top.

We might suggest toasting the bottom piece of bread before topping with all the things, it wasn't unpleasant but it might help the overall structure