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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 prime. It is best to positively give it a strive for those who’re on the lookout for a brand new scrumptious brunch recipe!
In search of extra tasty sandwiches to make for lunch? Attempt a do-it-yourself monte cristo, Cuban sandwich, or pork tenderloin sandwich!

Croque Madame Recipe
A Croque Madame is a ham and cheese sandwich with a twist. It’s acquired layers of ham and gruyere between crispy sourdough bread, however what makes it particular is the creamy béchamel sauce poured on prime, and a fried egg crowning all of it. Doesn’t that sound like the most effective mixture?
In case you’re on the lookout for a tasty lunch that’s a bit fancy however completely price it, you must positively strive a Croque Madame. It’s severely SO scrumptious, with that crispy bread, yummy ham and cheese, creamy sauce, and a scrumptious fried egg on prime. It’s a French basic for a motive, 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 actually a monsieur sandwich with an egg added on prime!
Elements You’ll Want
Ever needed a elaborate improve to your ordinary ham and cheese sandwich? That’s what a Croque Madame is all about. Let’s discuss in regards to the components that make it so nice.
- Unsalted Butter: Provides a wealthy, creamy style and helps in browning and flavoring the sauce and bread.
- All-Goal Flour: Thickens the sauce, giving it a clean 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 kind 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! In case you don’t have any Dijon available, you can too use common mustard. The flavour will simply be a bit 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 facet up, add some moisture with that tasty runny heart.
Find out how to Make a Croque Madame
I do know it appears to be like like a whole lot of 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
- Butter and Flour Combination: In a small saucepan, soften the butter over medium-low warmth. Add the flour and whisk continuously for about 2 minutes, till thick and bubbly and simply beginning to frivolously brown.
- Whisk in Milk: Slowly add the milk a bit at a time whereas whisking continuously to forestall clumping. Enhance the warmth to medium and proceed to whisk for 3-4 minutes till thickened and practically boiling.
- Add Seasonings: Add salt and pepper to style in addition to 1 pinch of nutmeg. Proceed to whisk and cook dinner for an additional 3-4 minutes.
- Set Apart: Take away from the warmth and put aside.
Sandwich Meeting
- Preheat Oven: Set the oven to broil on excessive. Then warmth a big nonstick skillet over medium excessive warmth.
- Toast Bread: Unfold about 2-3 tablespoons of the butter evenly throughout each bit of bread, only one one facet. Brown each bit of bread on the skillet on the buttered facet, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add Mustard: Place two items of your browned bread, toasted facet down right into a baking dish. Unfold the Dijon mustard on the un toasted facet of every piece.
- Layer With Cheese: Add about ¼ cup of the shredded gruyère cheese onto every of the slices of bread. Pour a number of the bechamel sauce onto the grated cheese, about 3 tablespoons on every.
- Layer With Ham: Add 5 slices of the ham onto the sauce lined cheese, you possibly can add extra to every if you’d like extra meat.
- High With Bread: Unfold one other 2 tablespoons of bechamel sauce onto the ham and prime with the remaining 2 slices of bread, with the toasted facet out.
- Add Extra Cheese and Sauce: Unfold the remaining shredded gruyere cheese on each sandwiches and prime with one other 2 tablespoons of bechamel sauce.
- 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 change into browned and bubbly on prime. Don’t over broil the sandwiches.
- Fry Your Eggs: Whereas the sandwiches are within the oven, warmth the remaining butter within the skillet and fry the eggs, sunny facet up. Add salt and pepper to style.
- Serve: When the croque madame sandwiches have come out of the oven, prime them with the fried eggs, plate the sandwiches and serve with extra bechamel sauce.
Not a Fan of Runny Eggs?
No drawback! You possibly can cook dinner your fried eggs over medium or over laborious, relying on the consistency of the yolk you need. This normally takes about 4 minutes, whereas it takes about 2 minutes to cook dinner them over straightforward. See extra about frying eggs here.

Ideas and Variations
So your Croque Madame tastes prefer it got here from a French bistro, right here are some things to remember:
- Toast Your Bread: That is one step you don’t need to skip! Toast the bread excellent – golden and crispy, so it holds up towards the sauce with out turning soggy.
- Be Beneficiant With the Sauce: Don’t maintain again on the bechamel sauce – it’s the center of the Croque Madame. drizzle on prime and inside layers provides to the creamy goodness.
- Utilizing Completely different Cheese: In case you don’t have gruyere cheese you can too use shredded swiss!
- Broil With Care: Control the oven whereas broiling to forestall burning. Your Croque Madame will cook dinner quick! You solely need to broil sufficient to soften the cheese and get a fantastic golden crust on prime.

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 change into extra soggy because it sits.

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Bechamel Sauce
-
Soften the butter over medium-low warmth. Add the flour and whisk continuously for about 2 minutes, till thick and bubbly and simply beginning to frivolously brown.
-
Slowly add the milk a bit at a time whereas whisking continuously to forestall clumping. Enhance the warmth to medium and proceed to whisk for 3-4 minutes till thickened and practically boiling.
-
Add salt and pepper to style in addition to 1 pinch of nutmeg. Proceed to whisk and cook dinner for an additional 3-4 minutes.
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Take away from the warmth and put aside.
Sandwich Meeting
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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 each bit of bread, only one one facet. Brown each bit of bread on the skillet on the buttered facet, about 2-3 minutes.
-
Place two items of your browned bread, toasted facet down right into a baking dish. Unfold the dijon mustard on the un toasted facet of every piece.
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Add about ¼ cup of the shredded gruyere cheese onto every of the slices of bread. Pour a number of the bechamel sauce onto the grated cheese, about 3 tablespoons on every.
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Add 5 slices of the ham onto the sauce lined cheese, you possibly can add extra to every if you’d like extra meat.
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Unfold one other 2 tablespoons of bechamel sauce onto the ham and prime with the remaining 2 slices of bread, with the toasted facet out.
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Unfold the remaining shredded gruyere cheese on each sandwiches and prime with one other 2 tablespoons of bechamel sauce.
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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 change into browned and bubbly on prime. Don’t over broil the sandwiches.
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Whereas the sandwiches are within the oven, warmth the remaining butter within the skillet and fry the eggs, sunny facet up. Add salt and pepper to style.
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When the sandwiches have come out of the oven, prime them with the fried eggs, plate the sandwiches and serve with extra 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
Diet data is routinely calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.