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Croque Madame

Source of Recipe

From "Mad Hungry: Cravings" by Lucinda Quinn


Recipe Introduction

"This is a freakishly good crunchy hot ham and cheese sandwich taken over the top by a creamy cheese-laced béchamel sauce and a fried egg with a runny yolk on top. Hands down, it's my preferred, salivating-when-I-see-it-on-the-menu brunch choice. It's so not low-fat, it's a treat to indulge in once in a while. Omit the eggs and you have a Croque Monsieur."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
â—¦ 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
â—¦ 1 cup whole milk
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
â—¦ Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
â—¦ 1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
â—¦ 4 slices white bread
â—¦ 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
â—¦ 3 ounces thinly sliced best-quality deli ham
â—¦ 2 large eggs
â—¦ Freshly ground black pepper


Recipe

Preheat the broiler with a rack in the top position.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan over high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking, until lightly golden. Add the milk and salt and whisk constantly until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the nutmeg, and gradually add half the cheese, stirring to combine.

Lay the slices of bread on a small baking sheet. Spread the mustard on two slices and top with the ham. Spoon half the béchamel sauce onto the remaining two slices and top with the remaining cheese. Close the sandwiches, with the ham and cheese facing each other inside.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sandwiches and cook, turning once, until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the sandwiches back to the baking sheet, cover with the remaining béchamel sauce, and put under the broiler until bubbly, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the same skillet over high heat. Fry the eggs, sunny-side up, about 2 minutes. Top each sandwich with a fried egg, season with pepper, and serve immediately.

Makes 2 sandwiches