From @Claire Saffitz x Dessert Person

Croque Madame

Name: Croque Madame
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 3 tbsp unsalted butter; 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (34 g); 2 cups whole milk, warmed; Kosher salt; 1/8 tsp Tabasco; 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg; Freshly ground white pepper; 4 large eggs; Kosher salt; Freshly ground black pepper; 8 slices sourdough bread; Dijon mustard; 8 oz thinly sliced Swiss cheese (about 225 g); 8 oz thinly sliced cooked ham (about 225 g); 5 tbsp unsalted butter, softened, divided; 6 oz Gruyère or Emmental cheese, grated (about 170 g)

25 min · Serves 4 · 880 kcal

french
sandwich
brunch

25 mintotal

15 minhands on

28steps

4servings

Watch it

Ingredients

For the béchamel

3 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (34 g)
2 cups whole milk, warmed
Kosher salt
1/8 tsp Tabasco
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
Freshly ground white pepper

For the assembly

4 large eggs
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 slices sourdough bread
Dijon mustard
8 oz thinly sliced Swiss cheese (about 225 g)
8 oz thinly sliced cooked ham (about 225 g)
5 tbsp unsalted butter, softened, divided
6 oz Gruyère or Emmental cheese, grated (about 170 g)

Method

For the béchamel

Melt 3 tbsp butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring, until bubbling and honeycombed, 1–2 minutes.
Slowly pour in the warm milk while whisking constantly to prevent lumps.
Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened, 2–3 minutes.
Remove from the heat and season with salt, Tabasco, nutmeg, and white pepper.
Pour the béchamel into a heatproof container and set aside to cool slightly.

For the assembly

Set the oven to broil on high.
Spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard across all 8 bread slices.
Spread a thin layer of béchamel over the mustard on each slice.
Divide the Swiss cheese slices evenly across all 8 slices of bread.
Layer the sliced ham evenly over 4 of the bread slices to form the bottom halves.
Preheat a carbon steel griddle or large skillet over medium-high heat.
Melt 1 tbsp butter on the griddle.
Crack the eggs onto the griddle and season with salt and black pepper.
Break the yolks with a spatula, spreading them slightly, and cook over-medium until whites are set but yolks are soft, about 2 minutes.
Place one fried egg onto each of the 4 ham-topped bread slices.
Top each sandwich with the remaining bread slices, mustard-and-cheese-side down, to close.
Spread 2 tbsp softened butter over the top slice of each sandwich.
Place the sandwiches buttered-side down onto the preheated griddle.
Place a grill press or heavy skillet on top of the sandwiches to press them down.
Cook until the bottom bread is golden brown and crispy, 2–3 minutes.
Spread the remaining 2 tbsp butter over the top slice of each sandwich, then flip the sandwiches.
Cook until the second side is golden brown, 2–3 minutes.
Turn off the griddle heat and pour a generous layer of remaining béchamel over the top of each sandwich.
Top the béchamel generously with grated Gruyère or Emmental cheese.
Transfer the griddle directly under the oven broil.
Broil until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and browned in spots, 3–4 minutes.
Keep a close eye on the sandwiches under the broiler to prevent the bread edges from burning.
Carefully remove from the oven and let cool briefly before serving.

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