Meals, Snacks

Crunchy, Cheesy And Tasty Croque Madame Recipe

Ratings – 4.8/5

Preparation Time – 30 minutes

If you haven’t tried this appetizing meal yet, then this is your chance to do so. Crunchy, cheesy, hot and savory, can you even go wrong with a classic and delish ham and cheese sandwich? French cuisine is known for its complicated play on simple ingredients, and croque madame is also one of those recipes that are based on super simple ingredients. Thus, on popular demand, here is our version of the croque madame recipe.

Invention Of Croque Madame Sandwich

Origin – Before we head to the full recipe details, let us quickly brush over the eye-catching history of Croque Madame. Originally known as Croque monsieur in French, this particular sandwich recipe was invented around the end of the 19th century. Records say that in the early 1900s, the Croque Madame sandwich was made popular by a Bistro owner named Michel Lunarca! Speaking of the name given to the dish, in the French language, “croque” literally means “to bite”.
Inspiration – A classic croque monsieur when served along with a light-weight poached or perfectly fried egg on top is known as a croque madame! Sources revealed that in various parts of Normandy, this sandwich is quite famous under the name of croque-à-cheval. As per the data available on the net, a particular name was given to the egg sandwich around the 1960s.
Popularity – Call it croque monsieur, monte cristo, croque-mademoiselle, toastie, or croque madame, they all belong to the classic ham and cheese family. With a slight play of ingredients, you can easily find a ton of variations of this particular sandwich recipe. Ham and cheese is a great combination on its own and it would be quite fair to say that this dish is incredibly famous in and around the Western countries.

The following recipe mentioned below is made with egg and ham. But you can also make this sandwich without any non-veg ingredients. Usually, a combination of melting cheese, chives, cucumber and lettuce are used for the vegetarian version of this dish. Again, to make it taste more flavorful and authentic, we have used Gruyère cheese here, but completely feel free to use Comté or Emmental cheese.

Ingredients

Pullman Loaf, you can also use a country loaf
1 ½ cup of Milk
Unsalted butter for bechamel sauce and sandwich
2 tbsp of all-purpose flour
¼ tsp Nutmeg powder
Salt as per taste
2 Ham Slices
Gruyère cheese
1 egg

Crunchy, Cheesy And Tasty Croque Madame Recipe

Croque Madame Recipe In Details – A Step By Step Guide!

Step 1

First things first, we are trying to keep it as traditional as possible. There are many French brasseries out there who serve their croque madame with a smooth bechamel sauce and we will be doing the same here. To begin this recipe, firstly, heat up two pans.

Step 2

In one pan, add the measured cup of milk and bring it to a nice boil. While on the other pan, melt down some unsalted butter! You are guessing it right, we are building up the roux for our bechamel sauce. Keep the flame low and then melt the butter, we are not looking for a brown or caramelized color here.

Step 3

As soon as your butter is properly melted, add two tablespoons of all-purpose flour and now whisk it thoroughly. Once the flour has combined with the unsalted butter, it’s time for you to pour in the piping-hot milk.

Step 4

We suggest adding the milk in small batches! This will ensure that no lumps are developed in your classic bechamel sauce. Again, don’t forget to whisk it throughout the whole process, this will give you a very silky and smooth white sauce texture and consistency.

Step 5

Lastly, don’t forget to season your bechamel sauce with a generous dash of salt! We are also using a bit of nutmeg powder here. If possible, use whole nutmeg and slightly grate it over the sauce. Mix it all and now we are all ready to begin the prep for our sandwich.

Step 6

To make croque madame, firstly, with a sharp knife, cut out two slices from the bread loaf. Now use a butter knife to generously spread some butter all over the bread slices. We will be applying butter to only one side of each bread slice.

Step 7

Now, build up your croque madame sandwich! Put a handful of grated cheese on one bread slice, and use the side on which you have applied butter. Next, put a ham slice, more grated cheese, a slice of ham, and then again some cheese!

Step 8

We have created a total of 5 layers here, the top, middle and bottom layers consist of Gruyère cheese! While the second and fourth layers of your sandwich will be ham slices. Lastly, press down the sandwich with the other piece of bread.

Step 9

For the next step, heat another pan, melt some butter and toast your sandwich from both sides. Keep the flame between medium to low, this will ensure that the cheese is melted properly and your sandwich is not burnt.

Step 10

Turn off the heat and pour in the bechamel sauce and some more cheese on top of your sandwich! Put your oven into a broiler setting and broil this until your cheese is all bubbling and golden. If you want, you can transfer the sandwich to a hot plate or a small baking dish.

Step 11

As your sandwich is getting ready in the oven, cook a sunny-side-up egg! To make a perfect egg, always keep the flame low. Top this egg on your sandwich and enjoy it all with a fizzy and chilled beer can.