Servings: 4
Ingredients
Bread and Ham
- 8 slices of white sandwich bread
- 4 slices of ham
- 15 ml of butter melted
Cheese Filling
- 200 g of Emmental cheese grated
- 200 ml of crème fraîche
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 pinch of pepper
- 4 toothpicks to hold the sandwiches together
Procédé
Assembly
- In a bowl, mix the grated Emmental and crème fraîche.200 g of Emmental cheese, 200 ml of crème fraîche
- Season the cheese filling with salt and pepper.1 pinch of salt, 1 pinch of pepper
- Brush one side of each bread slice with melted butter.8 slices of white sandwich bread, 15 ml of butter
- Place a slice of ham on 4 slices of bread, with the unbuttered side facing up.4 slices of ham
- Spread the cheese filling over the ham, leaving a small border around the edges.
- Top with the remaining 4 slices, buttered side facing out.
- Press each croque gently with your palm to compact it.
- Insert a toothpick through the center of each croque, from top to bottom, to hold the slices together.4 toothpicks
Air Frying
- Preheat the air fryer to 180 °C for 3 minutes.
- Arrange 2 croques in the basket in a single layer, lying flat and not touching.
- Air-fry at 180 °C for 7 minutes (first batch). Carefully turn halfway through, after 3 to 4 minutes.
- Check the color: the bread should be golden on both sides and the cheese fully melted in the center. Add 1 to 2 more minutes if the top is still pale.
- Remove the first batch and cook the remaining 2 croques the same way (7 minutes plus 1 to 2 more minutes if needed), turning halfway through.
To Serve
- Remove the toothpicks.
- Let the croques rest for 1 minute, then serve immediately.
Notes
- To keep the top slice from lifting and burning, insert a toothpick through the center of each croque and remove it before serving.
- Press the sandwiches down well before cooking, and do not spread the filling all the way to the edges (leave about 1 cm) to minimize cheese leakage.
- Cook in a single layer, leaving at least 1 cm between each croque; turning halfway through is essential in most air fryers.
- Use a small perforated sheet of parchment paper cut to the size of each croque; a large sheet blocks air circulation.
- Preheating for 3 minutes improves browning; if you skip it, add 1 to 2 minutes.
- Do not go above 200 °C: the bread will brown too quickly before the center melts.
- To reheat, warm at 150 °C for 3 to 4 minutes (optionally cover with a small piece of aluminum foil for the first 2 minutes).
- For a croque-madame, top each one with a fried egg after cooking, then return to the air fryer for 3 minutes at 160 °C.
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