Croque Madame
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast/Brunch
Cuisine: French
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1½ tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup hot whole milk
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • a pinch of nutmeg
  • a pinch of pepper
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan
  • 12 oz Gruyere cheese, grated, divided (about 5 cups)
  • 4 slices thick Dutch Oven bread
  • 8 slices good quality ham (about ¾ pound)
  • vegetable oil (or Canola oil)
  • 4 eggs
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 °F.
  2. First, make the white sauce (or "bechamel sauce" for a fancy word). Melt 1 tablespoon of butter over low heat in a small sauce pan and add 1½ tablespoons of flour, stirring with a wooden spoon for 1 minute.
  3. Heat up 1 cup of milk for a few minutes in a microwavable measuring cup. Pour the hot milk into the butter/flour mixture and cook, whisk constantly, until the sauce is thickened like a soup.
  4. Off the heat, add salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1 cup of grated Gruyere and ½ cup Parmesan cheese. Mix together and set aside.
  5. To toast the bread, place the slices on the baking sheets and bake for 4-5 minutes. Turn each slice and bake for another 2 minutes, until toasted.
  6. Add 2 slices of ham to each and sprinkle with half of the the remaining Gruyere.
  7. Slather the tops with the white cheese sauce, sprinkle with the remaining Gruyere, and bake for 4-5 minutes. Turn on the broiler for 3 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and lightly browned.
  8. While waiting for the bread, make some eggs. Cook them in a little vegetable oil with 1 tablespoon of butter. The key is low heat. Cook until the tops of the whites are set but the yolk is still runny.
  9. Top each bread with the sunny side up egg. Serve while it's hot.
Recipe by Let's Cook Some Food at https://www.letscooksomefood.com/croque-madame/