Georgina Hayden's Quick and Easy Recipe for Leek and Comté Croques
While I love a classic croque monsieur, I do occasionally like to mix things up by incorporating various cheeses and adding other flavorings – I like to take culinary risks. This version with leeks feels comfortingly autumnal, and a little luxurious, too. If I have guests visiting, I'll prepare the leek and sauce mixture in advance, then assemble the croques just before baking and present them with a bitter leaf salad.
Croques with Leeks and Comté
Prep 10 min
Cook 40 minutes
Serves 4
Two leeks (about 300g), trimmed and finely sliced
Two garlic cloves, skinned and thinly sliced
60 grams of unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering
Salt and pepper
60g plain flour
300ml whole milk
One heaped teaspoon of English mustard
100 grams of comté cheese, grated finely
60g mature cheddar, finely grated
Eight slices of bread
Place the cut leeks, butter and garlic in a medium saucepan on a moderate-low flame, season well, then cook, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes, until the leeks have cooked down and turned sticky.
At the same time, heat the oven to 240°C (220°C fan)/475°F/gas mark 9. Stir the flour into the leek mixture and cook for about a minute, until it becomes a biscuity roux. Add the milk, turn up the heat a little and whisk until the sauce is creamy. Keep whisking for a minute, until the sauce becomes thicker, then remove from the stove. Whisk in the mustard and most of the grated comté and cheddar, and set aside.
Brown the bread slices (in batches, if need be), then spread butter on one side of each slice. Lay four slices of toast butter-side down on a parchment-covered tray. Coat each slice with a generous amount of the leek sauce, then top with a another bread slice, this time butter-side up. Finish each sandwich with a coating of the leftover leek sauce, then top with the remaining grated cheese. Cook in the oven for 10-14 minutes, until the croques are browned, sizzling and oozy.
Serve straight away, with a dressed salad on the side, if you like.
