Croque Madame sandwich

Votes: 4

Time: 30 min.
Complexity: easily
Servings: 4

Trying this sandwich will transport you to a French bistro. It's possible the result will even surpass the dish you'd have experienced in the croque-madame's homeland. The sandwich is delicious, filling, and incredibly appetizing. If you make a croque-madame without the fried egg topping, it's a croque-monsieur—another popular French hot sandwich.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

170 g butter, divided into portions
2 tbsp. flour
1 cup whole milk
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
1/4 tbsp. finely grated parmesan
8 thick slices sourdough bread
8 – 12 slices of ham (about 350 g)
350 g Gruyere cheese, finely grated, divided into 4 portions
4 eggs

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

We recommend

Recipes with similar ingredients: white bread, Gruyere cheese, bay leaf, eggs, Parmesan cheese, ham

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Preheat oven to top grill.
Make béchamel sauceMelt 30g of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour quickly and cook, stirring constantly, until you can smell the flour and butter cooking, 2–3 minutes. Be careful not to let the sauce burn.

Add the milk and bay leaf and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens like a soup, about 10–12 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and stir in the Parmesan. Transfer the sauce to a bowl to cool.

Lay out 4 slices of bread on a flat surface. Place 2-3 slices of ham on each. Mix half the Gruyère cheese with the béchamel sauce. Taste to see if you need to adjust the seasoning. Spread a little béchamel sauce over the ham and top each sandwich with another slice of bread.
Heat a large cast-iron skillet and add half the remaining butter to the hot surface. Place 2 sandwiches in the skillet and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining butter and sandwiches. Spread the béchamel sauce over the sandwiches and sprinkle with the reserved half of the Gruyère cheese.
Wipe off any crumbs from the cast iron skillet. Spray the surface with nonstick cooking spray. Crack 4 eggs into the skillet, leaving a little space between them. While they're frying, place the sandwiches in the oven and bake until golden brown on top, 1–2 minutes. Season the eggs with salt and place one on each sandwich. Serve immediately.

Hot recipe Croque-Monsieur sandwich.