Eitan Bernath's Croque Monsieur Tuna Melt Recipe - Exclusive
This is not a case of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Eitan Bernath knows that you know how to make a tuna sandwich. If Julia Child's tuna and mayo habit didn't inspire you, maybe Ina Garten's anchovy paste-infused tuna melts did. And if not, Vice President Kamala Harris gave us all a tutorial in 2020. But Bernath — whose debut cookbook, "Eitan Eats the World," came out earlier this year — is nothing if not a comfort food connoisseur.
Bernath's version of a tuna sandwich is shamelessly "bougie" (his words, not ours) but also bewitching. To make the croque monsieur tuna melt, you'll combine mustard, shallots, and cornichons to make a brasserie-worthy tuna salad, then top it with nutty Gruyère. As if that weren't enough, the whole thing gets smothered in creamy béchamel sauce. It's a tuna melt that reflects Bernath himself: a little bit quirky, not pompous but bordering on baroque, and just generally extraordinary.
Recipe reprinted with permission from "Eitan Eats the World." Copyright © 2022 by Eitan Bernath. Photography Copyright © 2022 by Mark Weinberg. Published by Clarkson Potter Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
- For the tuna salad
- 3 (6-ounce) cans solid white tuna packed in water, drained
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- ¼ cup finely chopped shallot
- ¼ cup finely chopped celery
- ¼ cup finely chopped cornichons
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the mornay sauce
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- ½ cup grated Gruyère cheese
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Assembly
- 8 (½-inch-thick) slices bread, such as sourdough, toasted
- Dijon mustard, to taste
- 1 ¼ cups grated Gruyère cheese
- Preheat the oven to 400 F and place a rack in the upper third.
- Place the tuna in a colander or fine-mesh sieve. Using the back of a wooden spoon or large serving spoon, press out any excess moisture, ensuring the tuna is as dry as possible. Set aside.
- To assemble the tuna salad, place the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, and dill in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the shallot, celery, and cornichons to the bowl and whisk again to combine. Add the tuna and use a large spoon to stir until just mixed. Taste and season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Start the mornay sauce. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Once the butter is fully melted, sprinkle the flour evenly over it and, whisking vigorously, cook until it smells nutty, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens, 3 to 5 minutes. (If the mixture climbs above a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low.) The sauce should coat the back of a wooden spoon, and a clean line should hold when you drag a finger across it.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the Gruyère until fully incorporated. Stir in the salt and pepper to taste, then set aside until ready to use.
- To assemble the sandwiches, arrange 4 slices of toasted bread on a sheet pan and spread mustard on top. Divide the tuna salad among the 4 slices, then top each with ¼ cup of the grated Gruyère. Place the remaining toasts on top, then pour the sauce evenly over the sandwiches.
- Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup grated Gruyère over the sandwiches, place them in the oven, and bake for 5 minutes. Turn the oven to low broil and broil until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling and browned, 2 to 3 minutes more.
- Let cool slightly before cutting each sandwich in half. Serve immediately.