Croque Madame (Ham and Cheese with Fried Egg)

Croque Madame

Anyone who loves brunch has probably had a Croque Monsieur. But anyone that wants to take that delicious breakfast sandwich to the next level knows that when you add a fried egg to the top of it, the sandwich transforms into a Croque Madame. I have loved these sandwiches since I was eight years old, and I tasted my first one on a family trip to Europe. I was in Paris, and I remember the moment it hit my mouth, there was no turning back. A ham and cheese sandwich with a fancy french name? I will take it.

I have always loved and will always love Croque Madames, and if I for some reason start despising eggs at some point, which is highly unlikely, I will continue to eat the brother kind, a Croque Monsieur.

Valentines Day is a cheesy holiday that people use as an excuse to go out to expensive dinners, buy gifts, and eat a lot of chocolate. In my relationship, this is called a Tuesday night. No, I'm kidding. Well, not really. Anyways, Riley and I don't put a lot of pressure on each other for this holiday, so we decided a night in a delicious home cooked meal was just the ticket. I snagged extra mini donuts from work yesterday (for dessert, duh), some extra candy, and headed home.

Riley and I decided Croque Madames would be the perfect meal on Valentines Day. Rich, luxurious, and really simple to make. The reason we have never made this before is because we were intimidated by the bechamel sauce, but it took 20 minutes in total for these bad boys, and I swear- they were almost as good as Foreign Cinema's (A must-eat-at restaurant if you are ever in San Francisco- their brunches are to die for)....if not better.

We got this recipe from Saveur magazine, but halved the recipe for just the two of us. Next time, I will definitely make extra béchamel sauce to completely soak the sandwich. Obviously, I did not use mustard on my sandwich.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 tablespoons of flour

1 cup milk

6 oz. Gruyère, grated

½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 

4 thick slices sourdough bread

3 tablesoons Dijon mustard

8 thin slices ham (we used Prosciutto Cotto)

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 eggs

Directions:

1. Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and cook, whisking, until smooth, about 1 minute. Whisk in milk, and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer until slightly reduced and thickened, 6–8 minutes. 

2. Add ½ cup grated Gruyère and the Parmesan, and whisk until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.  

3. Heat broiler to high. Place 2 slices bread on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and spread 1 tablespoon mustard over each. Top with 2 slices ham and remaining Gruyère. Broil until cheese begins to melt, 1–2 minutes. 

4. Top with remaining bread slices, then pour a generous amount of béchamel on top of each sandwich. Broil until cheese sauce is bubbling and evenly browned, about 3–4 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add eggs, season with salt and pepper, and cook until whites are cooked but yolks are still runny, about 3 minutes. Place an egg on top of each sandwich, and serve hot.