Gluten-Free Croque-Monsieur

Recently it occurred to me that some of my favorite sandwiches are seasonal sandwiches. I eagerly await the first BLT of the summer and come winter I can't wait for a croque-monsieur. Of course, unlike the BLT, there's nothing really seasonal about this sandwich. Bread, ham, cheese and white sauce are available all year round. Yet tucking into this hearty sandwich during a warm season just doesn't appeal to me. (Probably because I am too busy eating BLTs.) Come the cold nights of January, however? I'm ready for a dressed-up ham and cheese sandwich.

While this French sandwich has been around for at least a hundred years, it's fairly new to my culinary repertoire. For years I avoided it because the thought of a sandwich topped with béchamel sauce sauce didn't sound appealing to me. I imagined the bread would turn unappetizingly soggy. However, I was wrong. Terribly wrong. After one bite, I knew why this sandwich was a classic. It's a comfort food sandwich! How did I miss this before? Warm cheese, salty ham, and tangy mustard. As for the bread, as long as it's well toasted (which is key with gluten-free bread.) the bread doesn't get mushy under the thick sauce.

Since the sandwich takes a little time to prepare, I usually don't make it for lunch. Instead I serve it for dinner along with a peppery green salad and a gluten-free beer.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons sweet rice flour
2 1/2 cups whole or 2% milk, warmed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound Gruyère cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Dijon mustard
1/2 pound sliced ham

2. Place the bread on an 18 by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet. Bake, flipping once, until the slices begin to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside. Leave the oven on.

3. Prepare the sauce: In a small pot, melt the butter. Add the sweet rice flour. Cook for 3 minutes, whisking constantly. The paste will turn a light golden brown. In a slow and steady steam, add the milk. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce begins to bubble. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 1/4 cup of the Gruyère and all of the parmesan. Whisk until smooth.

4. Make the sandwiches on the baking sheet. Spread a thin coat of mustard on each piece of bread. Place a few slices of ham and a generous sprinkle of Gruyère on each of 4 bread slices. (Reserve about one-quarter of the cheese.) Top with a second slice of bread, mustard side down. Spoon a generous amount of white sauce onto each sandwich. Divide the remaining Gruyère over the top.

6. Turn on the broiler. Broil until the cheese is melted, light brown, and bubbling. Serve immediately.