PREP : 25 MIN| COOK : 5 MIN| TOTAL : 20 MIN | SERVE : 8 TOASTS
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Meet one of my favorite snacks: Oven Baked Cheese Béchamel Toasts! These savory cheesy and creamy sourdough toasts are a delicious and easy option for a snack or Sunday brunch! A great match for both white and red wines! Chardonnay, Pinot Noir or Gamay. Take your pick!
How to make these Oven Baked Cheese Béchamel Toasts?
This decadent recipe was inspired by the iconic “Croque-Monsieur” that is usually found on the menu of each and every French “brasseries”. Except it is easier to make (and meatless)!
Choose a good quality sourdough bread, preferably a large loaf to slice generous slices from.
Layer a generous dollop of creamy béchamel sauce (white sauce with a touch of nutmeg). Making béchamel is the only step in this recipe that requires a bit of work. The extra-time spent will be worth it, I promise!
Sprinkle your favorite hard cheese (preferably aged for more depth of flavor)!
Broil for 5 minutes and this is ready!
And… these toasts allow for a wide variety of wine pairings! What else can we ask for?!
🍷Wine Pairing for Cheese Béchamel Toasts
The Match
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir or Gamay !
This recipe is very versatile and pairs well with most vibrant white wines as well as fruity light reds.
The salty and umami flavours from the cheese and the rich creaminess of the béchamel complement a wide range of Chardonnay based wines from mineral and citrusy Chablis to richer oakier styles.
Do you prefer a red? A light and fruity Gamay will make magic happen!
WINE APPELLATION SUGGESTIONS
White wines
Red wines
Other delicious Snack recipes
Recipe
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Oven Baked Cheese Béchamel Toasts
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 toasts in total 1x
Ingredients
For the béchamel
¼ cup (35 g) of butter
¼ cup (35 g) of all-purpose flour
2 cups (500 ml) of milk (I recommend full fat milk for extra creaminess)
¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons of sea salt
⅛ teaspoon of white pepper
For the toasts
8 big slices of sourdough bread
2 and ½ cups (200 g) of grated aged Cantal (or aged Comté, aged Cheddar or any aged hard cheese you like!)
Instructions
Start by making the béchamel sauce
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat.
- When the butter is bubbling nicely, add the flour all at once and stir energetically with a whisk.
- Lower the heat to medium intensity.
- Add 1/3 of the milk and stir.
- Add another 1/3 of the milk and keep stirring.
- Add the rest of the milk and stir continuously for 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
- Add the ground nutmeg, salt and white pepper and stir.
- Set aside.
Assemble the toasts:
- Preheat your oven on broil mode.
- Line the sourdough bread slices onto a parchment lined oven tray.
- Spread a thick layer of béchamel sauce overtop of the slices.
- Sprinkle a generous amount of grated Comté on top of each slice.
- Broil for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted, golden and bubbling away!
- Serve immediately with the glass of your chose wine.
Nim Keys
For a light lunch, I recommend serving these toasts with a salad on the side.
- Prep Time: 25
- Cook Time: 5
- Category: Snack
- Method: Oven Baked
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Vegetarian
Keywords: béchamel cheese toasts, french savory toast
