Croque Madame
with whole grain dijon, Comté, and chives
- 2 Servings
- 20 minutes
- Suggested Pairing: Try with a glass of your favorite sparkling wine
Ingredients
Béchamel
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 ½ cup whole milk
- ½ tsp. fresh grated nutmeg
- 1 pinch tarragon leaves (Superior Foods Featured Item: #49119 – Restaurant’s Pride)
- ¼ cup Comté cheese, grated
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 egg yolk
Assembly
- 4 thick slices of ciabatta (Superior Foods Featured Item: #8988 – Boulart)
- Whole grain dijon mustard
- 12 slices Carvemaster Applewood Ham(Superior Foods Featured Item: #90799 – Smithfield Culinary)
- Compté cheese, grated
- Béchamel
- 3 Tbsp. cooking oil(Superior Foods Featured Item: #42400 – Greek Farms International)
- 2 eggs
- Fresh chives, chopped
Preparation
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foamy. Add flour and cook, whisking, until mixture is combined and slightly cooked, giving off a nutty aroma (1-2 minutes). Gradually add milk, whisking until mixture is smooth. Cook, stirring, until sauce is thick and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and whisk in nutmeg, tarragon, cheese, salt, and pepper. Let cool slightly and using an immersion blender blend in egg yolk until sauce is smooth are there are no large tarragon chunks. Set sauce aside.
- Preheat broiler. Spread bread slices with mustard, extending all the way to the edges. Top each slice with 3 slices of ham, cheese, and a light layer of béchamel. Place each slice, béchamel side up, on a foil-lined baking sheet, and place sheet under the broiler. Leave in until the tops are bubbly and start to show some color. Remove from oven and carefully fold 2 of the slices on top of the other 2 slices, forming two large sandwiches. Finish both of these with more cheese and béchamel, and return to broiler to finish.
- Once sandwiches are out, heat oil in a frypan over high heat. Add eggs and fry for 2-3 minutes until the whites are set and crispy on the edges, but the yolks are still soft. Top each sandwich with sunny egg and sprinkle with chives.
TIPS:
This is a sloppy sandwich by nature, which can be eaten with a fork and knife if need be. Use as much cheese and béchamel as you’d like. If you’d like it handheld use a little less.