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Croque Madame sandwich in a cast iron skillet with egg on top

Croque Madame

Course: Brunch
Cuisine: French
Keyword: Grilled Cheese, Gruyere, Mornay
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 488kcal
This Croque Madam is French comfort food at it's best. The Gruyere cheese sauce, with Black Forest ham, thickly toasted bread, topped with a fried egg is pure French perfection. Perfect served with a nice, lightly dressed green salad. Amazing.
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Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole milk warmed
  • 1 cup Gruyere cheese shredded
  • 5 tsp Dijon mustard
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 large eggs
  • 8 slices good-quality white sandwich bread
  • 1/2 lb thinly sliced Black Forest ham

Instructions

MAKE THE MORNAY SAUCE

  • In a small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-low heat.
  • Whisk in the flour until smooth and bring to a gentle bubbling without browning, whisking frequently, for 1 minute.
  • Gradually whisk in the warm milk, raise the heat to medium, and bring to a gentle boil, whisking frequently.
  • Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, whisking frequently, until thickened, about 5 minutes.
  • Remove from the heat and stir in 3/4 cup of the cheese and 1 teaspoon of the mustard.
  • Season with salt and pepper.
  • Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, set aside and let cool.

MAKE THE TOAST AND EGGS

  • Pre-heat the oven to 400 F.
  • Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the bread slices in a single layer and bake, turning once, until toasted on both sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
  • In a large frying pan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat.
  • Crack the eggs into the pan, and season with salt and pepper, then cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until the whites have just set, about 2 minutes for sunny-side up eggs.

MAKE THE CROQUE MADAME

  • Pre-heat the broiler.
  • Spread 4 bread slices with the remaining 4 teaspoons mustard.
  • Add an equal amount of the sliced ham and 1 tablespoon of the sauce to each slice.
  • Top with the remaining bread slices.
  • Return the sandwiches to the prepared baking sheet.
  • Spread the remaining sauce over the tops of the sandwiches, and sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon of the remaining cheese.
  • Broil until the cheese is melted and golden, about 2 minutes (keep an eye on them...don't let burn!).
  • Transfer to individual plates, top each with a fried egg.  Serve at once.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 488kcal