Croque Madame
Source of Recipe
From "Mad Hungry: Cravings" by Lucinda Quinn
Recipe Introduction
"This is a freakishly good crunchy hot ham and cheese sandwich taken over the top by a creamy cheese-laced b�chamel sauce and a fried egg with a runny yolk on top. Hands down, it's my preferred, salivating-when-I-see-it-on-the-menu brunch choice. It's so not low-fat, it's a treat to indulge in once in a while. Omit the eggs and you have a Croque Monsieur."
List of Ingredients
◦ 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
◦ 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
◦ 1 cup whole milk
◦ � teaspoon coarse salt
◦ Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
◦ 1 cup grated Gruy�re cheese
◦ 4 slices white bread
◦ 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
◦ 3 ounces thinly sliced best-quality deli ham
◦ 2 large eggs
◦ Freshly ground black pepper
Recipe
Preheat the broiler with a rack in the top position.
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan over high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking, until lightly golden. Add the milk and salt and whisk constantly until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the nutmeg, and gradually add half the cheese, stirring to combine.
Lay the slices of bread on a small baking sheet. Spread the mustard on two slices and top with the ham. Spoon half the b�chamel sauce onto the remaining two slices and top with the remaining cheese. Close the sandwiches, with the ham and cheese facing each other inside.
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sandwiches and cook, turning once, until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the sandwiches back to the baking sheet, cover with the remaining b�chamel sauce, and put under the broiler until bubbly, about 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the same skillet over high heat. Fry the eggs, sunny-side up, about 2 minutes. Top each sandwich with a fried egg, season with pepper, and serve immediately.
Makes 2 sandwiches
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