Croque Madame
Unapologetically loaded with béchamel sauce, ham, cheese, mustard, and topped with an egg. Croque Madame is the mother of all toasties!
Ingredients
Béchamel sauce
- 50 gm unsalted butter (separated)
- ⅓ cup milk (full cream/whole milk)
- ⅓ cup thickened cream (NOTE 1)
- 5 tsp plain flour (all purpose)
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 pinch freshly ground pepper
Sandwich
- 4 slices white bread (thick cut, approx. 2cm/0.8in) (NOTE 2)
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 6-8 slices ham (good quality) (NOTE 3)
- salt and pepper to season
- 4 slices gruyere cheese (NOTE 4)
Topping
- ¼ cup shredded gruyere cheese (freshly grated)
- 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil (or any neutral oil) oil
- 2 large eggs
- salt and pepper to season
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F) or 180°C (360°F) for fan-forced ovens. Slice the bread at approximately 2cm/0.8in thick. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Brush HALF of the melted butter on one side of all the bread slices, and leave the remaining butter in the pan.
- For the béchamel sauce - Mix the milk and cream in a microwave-safe bowl/jug and microwave on high for 40 seconds (mixture should be hot but not boiling) and set aside. Place the saucepan and the remaining butter back on the heat on low. Once the butter heats again, add the flour and stir continuously for a minute (the mixture will foam up). Slowly pour in the cream and milk mixture whilst stirring, then add the mustard, salt and pepper and continue to stir until smooth. As soon as it thickens (does so quite fast) remove the saucepan from heat to prevent the mixture from splitting. Transfer the béchamel sauce to a bowl.
- Place the buttered side of the bread down on a large board, then spread two slices with mustard and the other two with HALF of the Béchamel sauce. Place the ham over the bread with the Béchamel sauce, then season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the cheese over the ham and close the sandwiches with the mustard side facing down, so the outer sides of the sandwiches are buttered.
- Heat a large frying pan over medium-low heat. Then add in the sandwiches, cook on each side for 1-2 minutes or until golden. Don't worry if the filling isn't heated through because they'll be baked.
- Spray or brush a baking tray lightly with oil and place the toasties on the tray with the mustard side facing up. Spread the remaining béchamel sauce over the top of the toastie, then sprinkle with the grated cheese. Bake for 15 minutes and then finish by grilling (broil) until the cheese has melted and is golden.
- Whilst the sandwiches are in the oven, fry the eggs. Wipe the same frying pan clean from any crumbs, then place the pan with oil over medium-low heat. Fry the eggs until the whites are solid and the yolk is still runny (or fry the eggs how you prefer them). Use a flat spatula to transfer the eggs on top of the toasties and season the egg with salt and pepper.
Notes
(NOTE 1) Thickened cream (whipping cream) has gelatine added to it and contains 35% milk fat.
(NOTE 2) Bread - I bought a cheap soft white bread loaf and cut them into thick slices myself. I prefer this type of bread for my toasties, but you can use your favourite white bread like sourdough, etc.
(NOTE 3) Ham - I bought my ham from the deli and got 'off the bone' slices, which were quite expensive. After all, I don't make Croque Madame often and when I do, it's definitely worth getting quality ham!
(NOTE 4) Cheese - Traditionally, Croque Madame calls for Gruyere cheese, but it's sometimes difficult to find in my area. I used Jarlsberg cheese which has a similar nutty and sweet flavour. However, using your favourite 'melting' cheese will work wonderfully, such as any kind of Swiss or Cheddar cheese.
A Third-Party Application calculated the calories and nutritional information. Please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 1120kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 54gFat: 88gSaturated Fat: 44gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 30gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 421mgSodium: 2281mgPotassium: 556mgFiber: 2gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 2241IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 963mgIron: 4mg