Croque Madame
By Matthew FairmanPublished on June 26, 2018
Time
1½ hours
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Sandwiches
8 slices hearty white sandwich bread 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted12 ounces thinly sliced Black Forest deli ham ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese 4 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (1 cup)Mornay Sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup whole milk 4 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (1 cup)¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper Pinch ground nutmegEggs
2 teaspoons vegetable oil 4 large eggs Salt and pepper 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and chilledBefore You Begin
For the best results, be sure to use a good-quality Gruyère here.
Instructions
- For the sandwiches: Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil spray.
- Brush bread on both sides with melted butter and place on prepared sheet. Bake until light golden brown on top, about 10 minutes. Remove sheet from oven and flip slices. Return to oven and bake until golden brown on second side, about 3 minutes. Reserve 4 slices for sandwich tops; evenly space remaining 4 slices on sheet.
- For the Mornay sauce: Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk and bring to boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and quickly whisk in Gruyère, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and nutmeg until smooth.
- Spread 1 tablespoon Mornay on each slice of toast on sheet. Then, folding ham slices over themselves multiple times so they bunch up, divide ham evenly among slices of toast. Spread 2 tablespoons Mornay on 1 side of each reserved slice of toast and place slices Mornay side down on top of ham.
- Spread 2 tablespoons Mornay evenly over top of each sandwich, making sure to completely cover toast, including edges (exposed edges can burn under broiler). Sprinkle sandwiches with Parmesan, followed by Gruyère.
- Bake until cheese on top of sandwiches is melted, about 5 minutes. Turn on broiler and broil until cheese bubbles across tops of sandwiches and edges are spotty brown, about 5 minutes.
- For the eggs: Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over low heat for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, crack each egg into individual small bowl or teacup and season with salt and pepper.
- Increase heat to medium-high and heat until oil is shimmering. Add butter to skillet and quickly swirl to coat skillet. Working quickly, pour each egg into separate area of skillet. Cover and cook for 1 minute. Remove skillet from burner and let stand, covered, for 15 to 45 seconds (for runny yolks). Place 1 egg on top of each sandwich. Serve.
Time
1½ hoursYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Sandwiches
8 slices hearty white sandwich bread
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
12 ounces thinly sliced Black Forest deli ham
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (1 cup)
Mornay Sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
4 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (1 cup)
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Pinch ground nutmeg
Eggs
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 large eggs
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and chilled
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Sandwiches
8 slices hearty white sandwich bread
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
12 ounces thinly sliced Black Forest deli ham
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (1 cup)
Mornay Sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
4 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (1 cup)
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Pinch ground nutmeg
Eggs
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 large eggs
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and chilled
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Sandwiches
8 slices hearty white sandwich bread
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
12 ounces thinly sliced Black Forest deli ham
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (1 cup)
Mornay Sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
4 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (1 cup)
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Pinch ground nutmeg
Eggs
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 large eggs
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and chilled
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
We were looking for a truly impressive version of this French bistro favorite—one with crisp, buttered bread; salty-sweet ham; a creamy white sauce; and plenty of nutty Gruyère cheese. We chose to amp up the béchamel sauce called for in traditional recipes by adding some Gruyère and Parmesan cheeses. To ensure that the sandwiches were ready to eat at the same time, we assembled all four of them on a baking sheet, layering in the cheese sauce and Black Forest ham before topping them all with more sauce and cheese. A trip under the oven's broiler was all that was needed to meld the sandwich ingredients together, creating a bubbly-browned top in the process. As a finishing touch, we crowned each sandwich with a sunny-side up egg.
Before You Begin
For the best results, be sure to use a good-quality Gruyère here.
Instructions
- For the sandwiches: Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil spray.
- Brush bread on both sides with melted butter and place on prepared sheet. Bake until light golden brown on top, about 10 minutes. Remove sheet from oven and flip slices. Return to oven and bake until golden brown on second side, about 3 minutes. Reserve 4 slices for sandwich tops; evenly space remaining 4 slices on sheet.
- For the Mornay sauce: Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk and bring to boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and quickly whisk in Gruyère, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and nutmeg until smooth.
- Spread 1 tablespoon Mornay on each slice of toast on sheet. Then, folding ham slices over themselves multiple times so they bunch up, divide ham evenly among slices of toast. Spread 2 tablespoons Mornay on 1 side of each reserved slice of toast and place slices Mornay side down on top of ham.
- Spread 2 tablespoons Mornay evenly over top of each sandwich, making sure to completely cover toast, including edges (exposed edges can burn under broiler). Sprinkle sandwiches with Parmesan, followed by Gruyère.
- Bake until cheese on top of sandwiches is melted, about 5 minutes. Turn on broiler and broil until cheese bubbles across tops of sandwiches and edges are spotty brown, about 5 minutes.
- For the eggs: Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over low heat for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, crack each egg into individual small bowl or teacup and season with salt and pepper.
- Increase heat to medium-high and heat until oil is shimmering. Add butter to skillet and quickly swirl to coat skillet. Working quickly, pour each egg into separate area of skillet. Cover and cook for 1 minute. Remove skillet from burner and let stand, covered, for 15 to 45 seconds (for runny yolks). Place 1 egg on top of each sandwich. Serve.
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