Croque Madames
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 4 slices of soft white bread
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter and extra for buttering
- 100 ml milk
- slices of Cheddar or Gruyère cheese
- slices of ham
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard optional
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/375°F. In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the tbsp butter then tip in the flour. Mix together with a wooden spoon to make a thick paste - a roux - and cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly, then remove from the heat.
- Slowly add milk, stirring to combine after every big splash. Add enough milk to make a thick sauce – when you lift your spoon big dollops should fall into the pan. Return the pan to the heat and gradually bring to the boil. Stir the sauce for about three minutes until thickened, and to make sure it doesn’t burn on the bottom, and remove from the heat.
- Butter two slices of bread and turn them over. Spread the other side with a little bechamel, top with slices of ham and cheese then spread the remaining two pieces of bread with a little bit of Dijon, if using. Perch this piece on top of the sandwich, Dijon-side down.
- Spread the remaining bechamel thickly over the top slice and finish with a slice of cheese. Heat a non-stick frying pan and, once it’s nice and hot, pop in the sandwiches to sear the buttery bottoms. Lift them gently with a spatula to check when they are golden - around 3-5 minutes. At that point put them on a tray and slide into the hot oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the bechamel is golden and crispy.
- Meanwhile, fry the eggs sunny-side up in sizzling melted butter and season with salt and pepper. When the Croque madames are ready, slip the eggs on top. Serve them and devour.