AI-generated
Croque Madame — Baked Ham and Cheese Sandwich with Béchamel and Egg
Log in or create a free account to save recipes.
Source: https://recipheon.com/en/recipes/main-dishes/croque-madame-baked-ham-and-cheese-sandwich-with-bechamel-and-egg
About this recipe
Croque madame is a crisp ham and cheese sandwich baked under béchamel and topped with a fried egg. Browning the bread in butter first gives the base a firm texture beneath the creamy sauce. Gruyère melts inside the sandwich and forms golden spots on top, while a thin layer of Dijon mustard balances the filling's mild flavor. The béchamel should be thick and smooth, coating the bread instead of running onto the baking sheet. Fry the eggs toward the end of baking so the whites are fully set and the yolks stay soft. Serve both portions immediately, while the bread is still crisp, the cheese stretches and the yolk mingles with the hot sauce when cut into.
Ingredients
Sandwiches and eggs
160 g white wheat bread with a close crumb, 4 slices weighing approximately 40 g each, approximately 1.5 cm thick and approximately 10 × 10 cm across, with crusts
100 g ready-to-eat cooked pork ham, thinly sliced
100 g Gruyère cheese, weighed without the inedible rind
50 g unsalted butter (82% fat): 20 g for the béchamel, 20 g for browning the sandwiches and 10 g for the eggs
10 g smooth Dijon mustard
2 size L eggs, approximately 120 g in total without the shells
Béchamel and seasonings
200 ml milk (3.2% fat)
20 g all-purpose flour
1.5 g fine salt: 1 g for the béchamel and 0.5 g for the eggs
0.4 g ground black pepper: 0.2 g for the béchamel and 0.2 g for the eggs
0.2 g ground nutmeg
Steps
Preheat a conventional oven (no fan) to 200°C and position a rack just above the center. Set out a metal baking sheet approximately 30 × 40 cm, a small saucepan with a capacity of approximately 1 l and a nonstick skillet approximately 28 cm in diameter, with a flat base at least 24 cm across and a matching lid. Coarsely grate all the Gruyère and divide it into 60 g for the sandwich fillings and 40 g for the tops; measure out each portion of butter separately.
Melt 20 g butter in the saucepan over low or medium heat, without letting it brown. Add all the flour and whisk for approximately 2 minutes, until it forms a smooth, lightly foaming paste with no dry flour. The roux should stay pale; reduce the heat if it darkens quickly.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and gradually pour in all the milk, whisking vigorously after each addition until smooth. Return to medium heat and stir until the sauce thickens and begins to bubble gently; then reduce the heat and cook for approximately 3–4 minutes more, stirring constantly and reaching the bottom of the pan. Add 1 g salt, 0.2 g pepper and all the nutmeg; the finished béchamel should be thick, with no lumps, and keep the trail left by a spoon visible. Remove from the heat and cover the saucepan while browning the sandwiches so no skin forms on the sauce.
AI-generated Spread 2 bread slices with 5 g mustard each. On each, layer 15 g cheese, 50 g ham folded to fit the bread and another 15 g cheese, then cover with the remaining bread slices. Melt 20 g butter in the skillet over medium heat and add both sandwiches side by side, without overlapping. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for approximately 3 minutes on each side, turning with a wide spatula, until the bread is evenly golden and crisp; do not press down hard. Transfer the sandwiches to the baking sheet, remove the skillet from the heat and reserve it for frying the eggs.
Give the béchamel a quick stir and divide all the sauce evenly over the tops of both sandwiches. Spread it to the edges of the bread without letting it run down the sides or underneath. Sprinkle each sandwich with 20 g of the remaining cheese; leave a few centimeters between them on the baking sheet.
AI-generated Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake at 200°C on the conventional (no-fan) setting for approximately 12–15 minutes. The sauce should be hot and bubbling gently at the edges, and the cheese on top fully melted with golden spots; the bread crusts should not burn. Start frying the eggs approximately 5 minutes before the end of baking so everything is ready to serve together.
Melt the remaining 10 g butter in the reserved skillet over medium-low heat. Crack each egg into a small bowl first, then carefully slide both into the skillet, keeping the yolks intact; divide the remaining 0.5 g salt and 0.2 g pepper between them. Fry for approximately 4–5 minutes in total, covering for approximately the last 1 minute, until all the white is opaque and set, including right next to the yolk, while the yolk stays soft. If any translucent white remains near the yolk, keep the skillet covered over low heat for approximately 1 minute more; do not flip the eggs.
AI-generated Transfer the hot sandwiches to 2 plates with a wide spatula, supporting the crisp base. Top each with 1 fried egg, taking care not to break the yolk. Serve immediately, 1 whole sandwich per serving, before the sauce and steam soften the bread.
Estimated nutrition
Rate this recipe
0 ratings
Comments