Croque Madame

30 min · Medium · Serves 1

985 kcal per serving · 51g protein

The brasserie classic — ham and gruyère on bread, blanketed in creamy béchamel, broiled until bubbling, crowned with a sunny-side egg.

Ingredients

• Thick slices country bread × 2
• 60 g Sliced ham
• 60 g Grated gruyère
• Egg × 1
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 1 tbsp All-purpose flour
• 120 ml Whole milk
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 pinch Grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp Fresh chives (chopped)
• 1 pinch Salt
• 1 pinch Cracked black pepper

Method

1. Melt the butter

   

   Melt half the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Keep the rest for toasting the sandwich and frying the egg.

2. Whisk in flour and milk

   

   Whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk until smooth.

3. Cook 3-4 minutes

   

   Cook 3-4 minutes, whisking, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

4. Stir in Dijon and gruyère

   

   Off the heat, stir in the Dijon, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and half the gruyère.

5. Assemble

   

   Spread a thin layer of béchamel on each bread slice. Lay ham across one slice, top with a few pinches of gruyère, then close the sandwich.

6. Toast

   

   Heat a frying pan with a little butter over medium heat. Toast the sandwich 2-3 minutes per side until deeply golden.

7. Heat the broiler

   

   Turn on the oven's broiler — the top-down grill — to heat up. Transfer the sandwich to a baking sheet.

8. Spread the rest

   

   Spread the rest of the béchamel over the top of the sandwich and scatter over the remaining gruyère.

9. Broil the top

   

   Slide the sheet under the hot broiler for 3-4 minutes, until bubbling and golden-brown in spots.

10. Fry the egg

    

    While the sandwich broils, melt a little butter in a small frying pan over medium-low heat and fry one egg sunny-side up — don't flip it — until the white is set but the yolk is still runny.

11. Slide the broiled sandwich

    

    Slide the broiled sandwich onto a plate.

12. Crown

    

    Crown with the sunny-side egg.

13. Scatter chives and pepper

    

    Scatter chives and a heavy crack of black pepper.

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