Croque Madames

The croque madame - a croque monsieur with an egg on top - is something I had always enjoyed in restaurants but avoided making since it seemed really fussy. However, I figured I wanted to give it a try at least once - and realized it actually isn't that tricky to make! The high level description for this version is a slice of sourdough bread topped with black forest ham, bechamel sauce, gruyere cheese, and topped with a fried egg.

I couldn't find grated gruyere while out grocery shopping, so that ended up being the most time-consuming part of the prep. I also ended up using probably twice the amount of milk specified in Alton Brown's recipe to get the bechamel to the right consistency, so I'll specify that below. Other than those minor incidents, the process was overall very straightforward, and with a great payoff! The textures of the bread, cheese, sauce, and ham melded together in the oven in the most phenomenal way, and the egg just puts it over the top in terms of indulgence.

Croque Madames

adapted from Alton Brown

Ingredients

Bechamel:

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 oz all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground white pepper

8-16 oz whole milk

2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

Sandwiches:

Nonstick cooking spray, for the pan

Four 1/2-inch-thick slices sourdough bread

1 tbsp whole-grain mustard

8 oz thinly sliced Black Forest ham cut into 1-inch wide strips

8 oz grated Gruyere

2 tsp herbes de Provence (optional)

2 tbsp olive oil

4 large eggs

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. For the bechamel: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, whisking occasionally, until the roux smells nutty. Whisk in the nutmeg, salt, white pepper, thyme, and gradually whisk in the milk. Cook the milk mixture, whisking to smooth, until thickened, about 4 minutes. (If roux mixture is too thick, continue adding milk until a smooth sauce consistency is achieved.) Set the sauce aside, covered with foil, to cool and thicken slightly more while preparing the sandwiches.

2. For the sandwiches: Set the top rack 6 inches under the broiler and heat the broiler to high. Line a half-sheet pan with aluminum foil and spray with a little nonstick cooking spray. Set the bread slices on the pan, then spread with mustard.

3. Top the bread slices with 2 ounces each of the ham. Combine the Gruyere with the herbs de Provence, if using, in a medium bowl. Cover the ham evenly with the bechamel and top each with 2 ounces of the Gruyere mixture. Broil these open-face sandwiches for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.

4. Meanwhile, add the oil to a medium nonstick frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, crack the eggs into the pan. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Cook until the whites start to set, 2 to 3 minutes, and then cover and continue cooking until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny, 1 to 2 minutes. Place each on top of a sandwich. 

 This recipe is a forgiving one and easily modified, since the end result is almost guaranteed to come out delicious. I didn't have herbes de Provence on hand, but I did have some infused olive oil, so I brushed the bread with the herbes de Provence oil and lightly toasted it in the oven before layering up the sandwiches. Basically, give it a shot - chances are, they'll come out amazingly. Expert tip, though: I would recommend eating these as quickly as possible - they're at their most amazing when fresh out of the oven!