Croque Madame

Michael craig

This is a French ham-and-cheese toasted sandwich, with the addition of bechamel sauce. Without the egg, it’s called a croque monsieur.

Ingredients

4 slices	White bread, use good quality bread, such as sourdough (Main)
1 knob	Butter
1 Tbsp	Flour
¾ cup	Milk
1 cup	Gruyere cheese, grated
4 slices	Ham
2	Eggs, free-range
2 Tbsp	Oil, for frying
1 Tbsp	Parmesan cheese, grated
1 jar	Dijon mustard, for serving
2 handfuls	Salad greens, dressed

Directions

1. To make the bechamel sauce, heat the knob of butter and the flour in a pot on medium heat, using a wooden spoon to mix it together. Take a whisk, and add the milk, whisking constantly until a thick sauce forms. Season with a little salt and pepper, and set aside.
2. Lay the bread on an oven tray, and grill on one side until lightly toasted, and remove from the oven. Take two slices of the bread and on the untoasted side, place the grated cheese and ham. Take the other two slices of bread, and place them toasted side up on top of the ham and cheese to make two sandwiches.
3. Generously spread the bechamel sauce on top of each sandwich. Grate over a little parmesan and add a crack of pepper. Return to the oven and grill until the cheese has melted and the sauce bubbles. This should take 5-7 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat oil in a frying pan and fry your eggs, sunny side up. When sandwiches are grilled, place an egg on top of each sandwich, and serve with mustard and salad greens.