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A Croque Madame is a tasty French sandwich made with béchamel sauce, melty cheese, ham, and a sunny-side-up egg on prime. You need to undoubtedly give it a strive in case you’re on the lookout for a brand new scrumptious brunch recipe!
Searching for extra tasty sandwiches to make for lunch? Strive a do-it-yourself monte cristo, Cuban sandwich, or pork tenderloin sandwich!
Croque Madame Recipe
A Croque Madame is a ham and cheese sandwich with a twist. It’s bought layers of ham and gruyere between crispy sourdough bread, however what makes it particular is the creamy béchamel sauce poured on prime, and a fried egg crowning all of it. Doesn’t that sound like the most effective mixture?
For those who’re on the lookout for a tasty lunch that’s a bit fancy however completely value it, you need to undoubtedly strive a Croque Madame. It’s significantly SO scrumptious, with that crispy bread, yummy ham and cheese, creamy sauce, and a scrumptious fried egg on prime. It’s a French traditional for a purpose, and when you style it, you’ll know why!
Croque Madame vs Monsieur
So, what’s the distinction between a Croque Madame and a Croque Monsieur? The 2 are tremendous related, and a Croque Madame is actually a monsieur sandwich with an egg added on prime!
Substances You’ll Want
Ever wished a elaborate improve to your normal ham and cheese sandwich? That’s what a Croque Madame is all about. Let’s discuss in regards to the components that make it so nice.
- Unsalted Butter: Provides a wealthy, creamy style and helps in browning and flavoring the sauce and bread.
- All-Function Flour: Thickens the sauce, giving it a easy and creamy texture.
- Milk: So the béchamel sauce is good and creamy! It additionally enhances its taste and thickness.
- Salt and Black Pepper: To season your croque madame to style!
- Pinch of Nutmeg: Enhances the béchamel sauce with a delicate, heat, and barely candy taste.
- Good High quality Bread: Varieties the primary construction of the sandwich. I used sourdough bread, however French bread, brioche bread, or another sort of thick, crusty bread will work nice.
- Dijon Mustard: Provides a tangy and barely spicy taste. The proper complement to the creamy cheese and salty ham! For those who don’t have any Dijon available, you may also use common mustard. The flavour will simply be a bit completely different.
- Gruyere Cheese: Offers a milky, nutty taste that enhances the ham and balances the creaminess of the sauce.
- Deli Ham: For some meaty, savory goodness!
- Eggs: Not solely add protein, however since they’re cooked sunny facet up, add some moisture with that tasty runny middle.
The way to Make a Croque Madame
I do know it appears to be like like a whole lot of directions for a sandwich, however belief me, it’s so value it! As soon as you’re taking a chew of your Croque Madame, you’ll be a believer! (And likewise need it on a regular basis.)
Bechamel Sauce
- Butter and Flour Combination: In a small saucepan, soften the butter over medium-low warmth. Add the flour and whisk always for about 2 minutes, till thick and bubbly and simply beginning to calmly brown.
- Whisk in Milk: Slowly add the milk a bit at a time whereas whisking always to forestall clumping. Enhance the warmth to medium and proceed to whisk for 3-4 minutes till thickened and almost boiling.
- Add Seasonings: Add salt and pepper to style in addition to 1 pinch of nutmeg. Proceed to whisk and cook dinner for an additional 3-4 minutes.
- Set Apart: Take away from the warmth and put aside.
Sandwich Meeting
- Preheat Oven: Set the oven to broil on excessive. Then warmth a big nonstick skillet over medium excessive warmth.
- Toast Bread: Unfold about 2-3 tablespoons of the butter evenly throughout each bit of bread, only one one facet. Brown each bit of bread on the skillet on the buttered facet, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add Mustard: Place two items of your browned bread, toasted facet down right into a baking dish. Unfold the Dijon mustard on the un toasted facet of every piece.
- Layer With Cheese: Add about ¼ cup of the shredded gruyère cheese onto every of the slices of bread. Pour a number of the bechamel sauce onto the grated cheese, about 3 tablespoons on every.
- Layer With Ham: Add 5 slices of the ham onto the sauce lined cheese, you’ll be able to add extra to every if you’d like extra meat.
- High With Bread: Unfold one other 2 tablespoons of bechamel sauce onto the ham and prime with the remaining 2 slices of bread, with the toasted facet out.
- Add Extra Cheese and Sauce: Unfold the remaining shredded gruyere cheese on each sandwiches and prime with one other 2 tablespoons of bechamel sauce.
- Broil: Place your Croque Madame sandwiches into the oven, on the middle rack. Broil for about 2-3 minutes, or till the cheese has melted and has grow to be browned and bubbly on prime. Don’t over broil the sandwiches.
- Fry Your Eggs: Whereas the sandwiches are within the oven, warmth the remaining butter within the skillet and fry the eggs, sunny facet up. Add salt and pepper to style.
- Serve: When the croque madame sandwiches have come out of the oven, prime them with the fried eggs, plate the sandwiches and serve with further bechamel sauce.
Not a Fan of Runny Eggs?
No downside! You may cook dinner your fried eggs over medium or over arduous, relying on the consistency of the yolk you need. This often takes about 4 minutes, whereas it takes about 2 minutes to cook dinner them over simple. See extra about frying eggs right here.
Suggestions and Variations
So your Croque Madame tastes prefer it got here from a French bistro, right here are some things to remember:
- Toast Your Bread: That is one step you don’t wish to skip! Toast the bread excellent – golden and crispy, so it holds up in opposition to the sauce with out turning soggy.
- Be Beneficiant With the Sauce: Don’t maintain again on the bechamel sauce – it’s the guts of the Croque Madame. A superb drizzle on prime and inside layers provides to the creamy goodness.
- Utilizing Totally different Cheese: For those who don’t have gruyere cheese you may also use shredded swiss!
- Broil With Care: Keep watch over the oven whereas broiling to forestall burning. Your Croque Madame will cook dinner quick! You solely wish to broil sufficient to soften the cheese and get an exquisite golden crust on prime.
Storing Leftovers
I like to recommend having fun with your Croque Madame contemporary however if you wish to retailer leftovers, put them in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days. Remember the fact that the sandwich could grow to be extra soggy because it sits.
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Bechamel Sauce
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Soften the butter over medium-low warmth. Add the flour and whisk always for about 2 minutes, till thick and bubbly and simply beginning to calmly brown.
-
Slowly add the milk a bit at a time whereas whisking always to forestall clumping. Enhance the warmth to medium and proceed to whisk for 3-4 minutes till thickened and almost boiling.
-
Add salt and pepper to style in addition to 1 pinch of nutmeg. Proceed to whisk and cook dinner for an additional 3-4 minutes.
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Take away from the warmth and put aside.
Sandwich Meeting
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Set the oven to broil on excessive. Warmth a big skillet over medium excessive warmth.
-
Unfold about 2-3 tablespoons of the butter evenly throughout each bit of bread, only one one facet. Brown each bit of bread on the skillet on the buttered facet, about 2-3 minutes.
-
Place two items of your browned bread, toasted facet down right into a baking dish. Unfold the dijon mustard on the un toasted facet of every piece.
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Add about ¼ cup of the shredded gruyere cheese onto every of the slices of bread. Pour a number of the bechamel sauce onto the grated cheese, about 3 tablespoons on every.
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Add 5 slices of the ham onto the sauce lined cheese, you’ll be able to add extra to every if you’d like extra meat.
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Unfold one other 2 tablespoons of bechamel sauce onto the ham and prime with the remaining 2 slices of bread, with the toasted facet out.
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Unfold the remaining shredded gruyere cheese on each sandwiches and prime with one other 2 tablespoons of bechamel sauce.
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Place the cheese lined sandwiches into the oven, on the middle rack. Broil for about 2-3 minutes, or till the cheese has melted and has grow to be browned and bubbly on prime. Don’t over broil the sandwiches.
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Whereas the sandwiches are within the oven, warmth the remaining butter within the skillet and fry the eggs, sunny facet up. Add salt and pepper to style.
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When the sandwiches have come out of the oven, prime them with the fried eggs, plate the sandwiches and serve with further bechamel sauce.
Energy: 1332kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 68gFats: 105gSaturated Fats: 57gPolyunsaturated Fats: 7gMonounsaturated Fats: 33gTrans Fats: 2gLdl cholesterol: 482mgSodium: 2592mgPotassium: 1016mgFiber: 1gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 2781IUVitamin C: 0.03mgCalcium: 1098mgIron: 3mg
Diet info is mechanically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.