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Croque Madame Recipe | The Recipe Critic


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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 high. It’s best to undoubtedly give it a strive should you’re in search of a brand new scrumptious brunch recipe!

In search of extra tasty sandwiches to make for lunch? Strive a selfmade monte cristo, Cuban sandwich, or pork tenderloin sandwich!

2 halves of a croque madame stacked on top of each other.

Croque Madame Recipe

A Croque Madame is a ham and cheese sandwich with a twist. It’s received layers of ham and gruyere between crispy sourdough bread, however what makes it particular is the creamy béchamel sauce poured on high, and a fried egg crowning all of it. Doesn’t that sound like one of the best mixture?

Should you’re in search of a tasty lunch that’s a bit fancy however completely price it, you need to undoubtedly strive a Croque Madame. It’s critically SO scrumptious, with that crispy bread, yummy ham and cheese, creamy sauce, and a scrumptious fried egg on high. It’s a French basic 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 comparable, and a Croque Madame is basically a monsieur sandwich with an egg added on high!

Components You’ll Want

Ever needed a elaborate improve to your regular ham and cheese sandwich? That’s what a Croque Madame is all about. Let’s speak concerning the substances that make it so nice.

  • Unsalted Butter: Provides a wealthy, creamy style and helps in browning and flavoring the sauce and bread.
  • All-Objective Flour: Thickens the sauce, giving it a easy and creamy texture.
  • Milk: So the béchamel sauce is sweet 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: Types 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 right complement to the creamy cheese and salty ham! Should you don’t have any Dijon available, you may as well use common mustard. The flavour will simply be somewhat totally 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 aspect up, add some moisture with that tasty runny heart.

The right way to Make a Croque Madame

I do know it seems to be like numerous directions for a sandwich, however belief me, it’s so price it! As soon as you are taking a chunk of your Croque Madame, you’ll be a believer! (And likewise need it on a regular basis.)

Bechamel Sauce

  1. 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 evenly brown.
  2. Whisk in Milk: Slowly add the milk somewhat at a time whereas whisking always to stop clumping. Enhance the warmth to medium and proceed to whisk for 3-4 minutes till thickened and almost boiling.
  3. Add Seasonings: Add salt and pepper to style in addition to 1 pinch of nutmeg. Proceed to whisk and prepare dinner for one more 3-4 minutes.
  4. Set Apart: Take away from the warmth and put aside.

Sandwich Meeting

  1. Preheat Oven: Set the oven to broil on excessive. Then warmth a big nonstick skillet over medium excessive warmth.
  2. Toast Bread: Unfold about 2-3 tablespoons of the butter evenly throughout every bit of bread, only one one aspect. Brown every bit of bread on the skillet on the buttered aspect, about 2-3 minutes.
  3. Add Mustard: Place two items of your browned bread, toasted aspect down right into a baking dish. Unfold the Dijon mustard on the un toasted aspect of every piece.
  4. Layer With Cheese: Add about ¼ cup of the shredded gruyère cheese onto every of the slices of bread. Pour among the bechamel sauce onto the grated cheese, about 3 tablespoons on every.
  5. Layer With Ham: Add 5 slices of the ham onto the sauce lined cheese, you’ll be able to add extra to every in order for you extra meat.
  6. Prime With Bread: Unfold one other 2 tablespoons of bechamel sauce onto the ham and high with the remaining 2 slices of bread, with the toasted aspect out.
  7. Add Extra Cheese and Sauce: Unfold the remaining shredded gruyere cheese on each sandwiches and high with one other 2 tablespoons of bechamel sauce.
  8. 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 turn out to be browned and bubbly on high. Don’t over broil the sandwiches.
  9. Fry Your Eggs: Whereas the sandwiches are within the oven, warmth the remaining butter within the skillet and fry the eggs, sunny aspect up. Add salt and pepper to style.
  10. Serve: When the croque madame sandwiches have come out of the oven, high them with the fried eggs, plate the sandwiches and serve with further bechamel sauce.

Not a Fan of Runny Eggs?

No drawback! You’ll be able to prepare dinner your fried eggs over medium or over onerous, relying on the consistency of the yolk you need. This often takes about 4 minutes, whereas it takes about 2 minutes to prepare dinner them over straightforward. See extra about frying eggs right here.

6-photo collage of the sandwiches being layered with meat, cheese, and sauce.

Suggestions and Variations

So your Croque Madame tastes prefer it got here from a French bistro, right here are some things to bear in mind:

  • Toast Your Bread: That is one step you don’t need 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 very good drizzle on high and inside layers provides to the creamy goodness.
  • Utilizing Totally different Cheese: Should you don’t have gruyere cheese you may as well use shredded swiss!
  • Broil With Care: Regulate the oven whereas broiling to stop burning. Your Croque Madame will prepare dinner quick! You solely need to broil sufficient to soften the cheese and get a lovely golden crust on high.

Top-down view of 2 sandwiches topped with fried eggs.

Storing Leftovers

I like to recommend having fun with your Croque Madame recent however if you wish to retailer leftovers, put them in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days. Understand that the sandwich could turn out to be extra soggy because it sits.

Closeup of croque madame sandwich.

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Bechamel Sauce

  • 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 evenly brown.

  • Slowly add the milk somewhat at a time whereas whisking always to stop 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 prepare dinner for one more 3-4 minutes.

  • Take away from the warmth and put aside.

Sandwich Meeting

  • 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 every bit of bread, only one one aspect. Brown every bit of bread on the skillet on the buttered aspect, about 2-3 minutes.

  • Place two items of your browned bread, toasted aspect down right into a baking dish. Unfold the dijon mustard on the un toasted aspect of every piece.

  • Add about ¼ cup of the shredded gruyere cheese onto every of the slices of bread. Pour among the bechamel sauce onto the grated cheese, about 3 tablespoons on every.

  • Add 5 slices of the ham onto the sauce lined cheese, you’ll be able to add extra to every in order for you extra meat.

  • Unfold one other 2 tablespoons of bechamel sauce onto the ham and high with the remaining 2 slices of bread, with the toasted aspect out.

  • Unfold the remaining shredded gruyere cheese on each sandwiches and high with one other 2 tablespoons of bechamel sauce.

  • 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 turn out to be browned and bubbly on high. Don’t over broil the sandwiches.

  • Whereas the sandwiches are within the oven, warmth the remaining butter within the skillet and fry the eggs, sunny aspect up. Add salt and pepper to style.

  • When the sandwiches have come out of the oven, high 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

Vitamin data is robotically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.



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