Croque Madame
A French cozy classic with luxurious updates, additional layers of flavor and various complementary textures to satiate the tastebuds. Adaptation from À Table by Rebekah Peppler
Ingredients
- 2 slices thick artisan bread
- 4-6 Tbsp freshly grated Gruyére
- 1 Tbsp herbes de Provence
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1-2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp Maldon flaky sea salt
Bechamel Sauce
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 1/2 Tbsp flour
- 1 1/2 cup whole milk warmed on the stove prior to adding to the butter and flour mixture.
- 1 pinch fleur de sel
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1-2 Tbsp Dijon mustard (traditional)
- 1-2 Tbsp Whole Grain Dijon mustard
- 4-6 slices favorite ham, Paris Ham is traditional, but it is your choice finely or thickly sliced, cook's choice
Instructions
Bechamel Sauce
- Warm the milk: Add the milk to a separate sauce pan and warm. Over medium heat, you need to warm the milk up before adding to the flour and butter as this will speed up the process of completing the béchamel sauce (if you don't warm the milk, it will just take longer - about 10-12 minutes opposed to 5-7 minutes).
- Place the butter in a small sauce pan over low-heat. Melt. Once the butter has melted, add the flour and mix until combined (keep on a low heat), and let the mixture slightly brown as this adds another layer of nutty flavor.
- Add the warm whole milk to the flour and butter sauce pan and continually mix over medium heat until the sauce becomes thick enough to cover a wooden spoon.
- Remove from the stove top and add the salt, nutmeg, paprika and mustards. Stir to combine. You are now ready to build your Croque Madame before putting it into the oven to bake.
Constructing Your Croque Madame
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees (Fahrenheit), or 220 degrees celsius.
- Grate the Gruyére. Prepare your baking sheet with parchment paper and place the two slices of bread on the parchment. Serve a large spoon-full of béchamel sauce over each slice of bread, covering it completely. Place 1-2 slices of ham on top of the béchamel sauce. Cover the ham with the grated gruyére. Sprinkle 1/2 Tbsp of Herbs de Provence over each slice. Then add freshly ground black pepper. Finish by adding freshly grated parmesan.
- Place in the over preheated to 425 F/220 Celsius. And bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and beautifully golden brown.
Fried Sage Leaves
- Over the entire bottom of a cast iron skillet or skillet for frying with olive oil. Prepare a paper towel, placing it beside your stove-top cooking area where you will place the fried sage leaves.
- Remove the sage leaves from the stem as you will cook them invidividually, typically 3-4 at a time as they cook quickly, and will need to be turned in about 3-5 seconds upon placing in the oil. Bring the oil to medium-high heat, and then add your first batch of sage leaves. Watch the leaves as they will quickly turn a darker color and after 3-5 seconds, flip and cook the other side. Often when the sizzling stops, this is an indication that the cooking is done. Remove and place on the paper towel and immediately sprinkle them with flaky sea salt.
Pan-fried Sunny-side Eggs
- Using the same oil you used for frying the sage, reduce the heat to medium. Break the eggs into the pan, immediately flavoring them with flaky sea salt and two twists of freshly ground pepper (to taste for both). To cook them through, but keep the yolk runny for a perfect sunny-side egg, place a lid on the pan. Cook the eggs for 2-3 minutes, then immediately place on a dish off the heat and get ready to transfer to the top of your baked bread with all the other flavorful ingredients.
To Finish
- Place the fried sunny-side eggs, one on top of each of the pieces of bread. Then finish with 3-4 fried sage leaves on top of the egg. Voila!