Croque Madame
The traditional French sandwich!
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons butter, divided
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- pinch paprika
- 2 to 3 shakes of Tabasco sauce
- 1⅓ cups (3.5 ounces) grated Gruyere cheese, divided
- 8 slices firm white sandwich bread (or sourdough)
- 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ½ pound thinly sliced cooked ham (pref. Black Forest)
- 4 large eggs
Instructions
- Make the sauce: Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat, then whisk in the flour and cook the roux, whisking, for 3 minutes. Whisk in milk and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, 5 minutes. Whisk in salt, pepper, nutmeg, paprika, Tabasco and ⅓ cup of the cheese until the cheese is melted. Remove from heat, cover and set aside.
- Make the sandwiches: Spread 1½ tablespoons sauce evenly over each of 4 slices of bread, then sprinkle evenly with remaining cheese (¼ cup per slice). Spread mustard evenly on remaining 4 bread slices and top with ham, dividing it evenly, then invert onto cheese topped bread to form sandwiches.Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (or spray with nonstick spray).Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, then cook sandwiches, one at a time, turning once until golden (3 to 4 minutes total). Remove from heat and transfer sandwiches to the prepared baking sheet.
- Broil the sandwiches: Preheat the broiler. Top each sandwich with ⅓ cup sauce, spreading evenly. Broil sandwiches 4 to 5 inches from heat until sauce is bubbling and golden in spots, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off broiler and transfer pan to lower third of oven to keep the sandwiches warm.
- Adding the eggs: Heat the remaining tablespoon of butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until the foam subsides. Then crack eggs into the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Fry eggs, covered, until the whites are just set and the yolks are still runny, about 3 minutes. Top each sandwich with a fried egg and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sandwichCalories: 883kcalCarbohydrates: 77gProtein: 45gFat: 44gSaturated Fat: 22gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 301mgSodium: 2052mgPotassium: 603mgFiber: 3gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 1157IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 508mgIron: 7mg
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