Recipe: Croque Madame

Image courtesy of Adrigu (https://www.flickr.com/photos/97793800@N00/3915751837)

A sandwich that proves that women do things better :-). The croque madame has one up on the monsieur, adding an egg into the mix which oozes oven the golden, cheese bread for extra richness and yumminess.

Ingredients:

For the béchamel:

10g unsalted butter 125ml semi-skimmed milk 10g plain flour salt and black pepper fresh nutmeg

For the croque:

6 slices of bread 3 slices of ham 3 slices of Emmenthal cheese 50g Gruyere cheese, grated olive oil 3 medium eggs, at room temperature

Method:

For the béchamel:

– melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, then add the flour and mix well

– cook the flour for a couple of minutes, then gradually whisk in the milk

– once all of the milk is incorporated, cook the sauce for 5 minutes, then season with salt, pepper and a little freshly grated nutmeg

Assembly:

(preheat oven to 180*c)

– spread a thin layer of béchamel sauce over 3 slices of bread

– top the béchamel with a slice of ham and a slice of Emmenthal cheese

– place the remaining 3 slices of bread on top

– top the whole sandwich with more béchamel sauce and sprinkle over the grated Gruyere cheese

– place the sandwiches onto a baking tray and place in the oven for 10 minutes, until bubbling and slightly golden and crisp on top

– meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pan and fry the 3 eggs

– when you take the sandwiches out of the over, top with an egg each and serve

(serves 3) *Serve with a side salad – this can be eaten for breakfast, lunch and I even make it for dinner when I don’t feel like cooking!