Croque-madame
This popular Croque-madame sandwich is packed with flavor! It’s a great recipe to make for lunch but also for dinner.
Ingredients
BÉCHAMEL SAUCE
- 2 tbsp. butter tips & tricks
- 2 tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup milk, or as needed
- 1 small pinch ground Himalayan sea salt
SANDWICH
- 2 cups Gruyère cheese (substitute Comté, Emmental or Swiss cheese), grated and divided
- 3 tbsp. milk
- 1/16 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. ground Himalayan sea salt, divided
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided (I always use mixed peppercorns)
- 4 slices bread such as French bread or Brioche Footnote
- 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard, or as needed
- 6 slices ham such as jambon blanc
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 2 large free-range eggs, room temperature
Directions
BÉCHAMEL SAUCE
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, add butter. When melted, add flour and whisk for a few minutes to cook out the raw taste.
- Add 2 tbsp. cold milk, and whisk constantly until the mixture gets thick. Add 1 tbsp. cold milk at a time, whisking between each addition. Continue adding milk until the consistency of the sauce gets creamy but not too thin so it's spreadable.
- Transfer the sauce to a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap making sure it touches the surface to prevent skin formation and chill for at least 20 minutes.
SANDWICHES
- Preheat oven to 400ºF/200ºC and cover a baking sheet with foil; set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine grated Gruyère, milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper; stir until cheese has absorbed the milk and set aside.
- Spread a thin layer of chilled béchamel on two slices. Spread Dijon mustard on the other two. Place 3 slices of ham on the sauce before spreading on half of the cheese mixture. Cover with the other two slices, mustard side down and then press gently.
- Spread the remaining béchamel sauce on top of those 2 slices. Add the remaining cheese and place the sandwiches on the prepared baking sheet.
- Transfer to the preheated oven and bake until golden, about 10 to 12 minutes.
- About 5 minutes before time is up, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. When melted and it starts sizzling, crack the eggs; season with salt and pepper.
- After 2 minutes when the whites are almost set, cover and cook for just 30 seconds.
- Place one cooked egg on each sandwich and serve immediately with a salad.
Notes
Footnote: Here's the link for the Brioche recipe