Easy Croque Madame Sandwiches

Name: Easy Croque Madame Sandwiches
Cuisine: European, French, Mediterranean
Ingredients: 10g butter; 10g flour; 1/2 cup milk (or a little more if you like thinner consistency); pinch of nutmeg; 10g gruyere cheese, grated; 1 tsp dijon mustard; Pinch of salt; pepper to taste; 4 eggs; 2 Tbsp vinegar; Salt, for the water; 4 slices of fresh bread, toasted in a toster; 130g smoked ham, sliced in thin pieces; 60g gruyere cheese, grated; 1 tbsp dijon mustard

16 steps

If you like some good crunch combined with amazing cheesy sauce covered with a runny golden yolk you're at the right place! Perfect for a weekend homemade brunch! My first version attempt at this dish was a hot mess - so heavy and just too much, so I had to do a few rounds to get it just right, and here's what I have learned: - make sure to buy some nice fresh bread and make nice, consistent slices - usually, 2 slices of bread are used per sandwich, but that was too much bread for my taste, so I make it with only one - I tried some other cheeses as a substitute for the gruyere and they were all too strong and heavy, so try to find gruyere if you can - it's perfect! - you can just make a regular sunny side egg on a pan, but I wanted to reduce the fat as much as possible, so I do poached eggs. - I've seen people spreading some butter over the bread, but I really don't see the purpose, the bread is perfectly crunchy just by using the toaster... Hope you enjoy it!

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 12:02:46 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Unbalanced

Glycemic Index

Moderate

Glycemic Load

High

Nutrition per serving

Calories617.8 kcal (31%)

Total Fat30.6 g (44%)

Carbs39.4 g (15%)

Sugars8.2 g (9%)

Protein41.3 g (83%)

Sodium1882.3 mg (94%)

Fiber3.1 g (11%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

2 servings

Instructions

Bechamel sauce

Step 1

Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the flour. Whisk together and cook for a minute or two.

CooktopHeat

Pot

Whisk

Step 2

Add milk and whisk together. Cook for a few more minutes - the sauce should thicken. You can adjust the consistency of the sauce by adding more milk.

CooktopHeat

Whisk

Step 3

Add nutmeg, mustard, and gruyere cheese in. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste. The sauce is ready!

Whisk

Preparing the poached eggs

Step 4

Use a shallow wide pot in order to comfortably accommodate 4 eggs. Fill with a lot of water and bring to a boil.

CooktopHeat

Pot

Step 5

Add the vinegar and salt (like you would if you were preparing pasta). Reduce the heat so the water in the pot is calm.

Step 6

Crack the eggs beforehand in a small bowl or ramekin. Slide gently one by one into the pot. NOTE: I know everybody says you should make a swirl, but I find it to be too destructive for the eggs. Just by placing the eggs gently in the pot I get perfect poached eggs every time, so... Yeah... I love you Ramsey, but this just works better! :P

Step 7

Cook on low heat, you can also cover the pot with a lid. It takes around 3-4 minutes depending on the egg's size (and your liking). You can check the doneness by scooping the egg with a slotted spoon and gentle touch with a finger. Be careful - they go from soft to hard very quickly.

Step 8

When you're satisfied - use the slotted spoon to scoop the egg out. Put in on a paper towel to drain. Pat dry gently.

Sandwich assembly

Step 9

Find a good fresh bread and cut 4 nice slices, equal in size and thickness.

Step 10

Tost them in a toaster or alternatively, you can broil them in an oven for a few minutes per side.

Step 11

Place on a rack over the baking sheet. Spread a thin layer of dijon mustard over each slice.

Step 12

Place the ham on them, cover with grated gruyere cheese.

Step 13

Spoon over generous amount of bechamel sauce over the sandwiches.

Step 14

The purpose of this step is just to show off how beautiful they look in this picture, waiting to be placed in preheated oven - set on a broil. =)

Step 15

Broil for a few minutes keeping a good eye the whole time. The purpose of this is to melt the cheese, get some additional crispiness and some browning on the sauce.