Croque Madame
The perfect choice for a tasty brunch, Croque Madame is the ultimate ham and cheese toastie.
How long will it take?
35 minutes
What’s the serving size?
Serves 4
What do I need?
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons plain flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 100g coarsely grated Gruyère cheese
- 8 slices firm white sandwich bread
- 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 225g thinly sliced leg ham
- 4 large eggs
How do I make it?
- Begin by making a béchamel sauce by melting 3 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over moderately low heat. Whisk in flour and cook whisking continuously for 3 minutes. Whisk in milk and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Whisk in salt and pepper, nutmeg and 1/3 cup of the cheese until the cheese is melted. Remove from heat.
- Spread 1 ½ tablespoons of the béchamel sauce over 4 slices of bread, then sprinkle evenly with the remaining cheese.
- On the 4 remaining slices of bread, spread mustard and top with ham, then invert onto béchamel bread slices to make sandwiches.
- Lightly oil a shallow baking tray.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a non-stick frying pan over moderately low heat, then cook sandwiches, turning over once, until golden brown. Remove from heat and place sandwiches in baking tray. Wipe the frying pan with paper towel.
- Top each sandwich with 1/3 cup of sauce, spreading evenly. Grill sandwiches under the grill of your oven until the sauce is bubbling. Turn off grill and place tray in the oven to keep sandwiches warm.
- Heat remaining butter in a non-stick frying pan. Crack eggs into pan and fry, covered until the whites are just set and the yolks are runny.
- Top each sandwich with a fried egg and serve immediately.
