A Croque Monsieur (as it turns out) is just a fancy name for a ham sandwich. It translates literally as “Crunch Sir” and is essentially a single slice of ham along with a slice of Grüyere or Emmentaler cheese. Adding an egg on top makes it a Croque Madame. Sometimes chicken is substituted for the ham in a Croque Madame.
Croque Monsieur
- Butter two slices of French bread both on one side with softened butter
- On what will become the inside, spread a layer of Dijon mustard.
- Prepare a thin slice of quality ham and a slice of cheese between the slices.
- Put the assembled sandwich on a preheated very hot griddle or cast iron skillet.
- Cook both sides.
- For a proper finish, preheat the broiler
- Spread béchamel sauce thickly on the top.
- Garnish with thyme and any other desired spices
- Broil until browned and bubbly
- Let set a few minutes before trimming the edges for a neat presentation
- Cut into finger-food sized pieces for serving
Croque Madame
Prepare a very lightly fried egg, and place on top of the sandwich after Step 10. In this case, you will NOT cut them into finger-food sized pieces. You can also use shredded chicken at Step 3.
Bobby Flay Recipe
- CROQUE MADAME
- 4 eggs + 2 yolks
- 4 C milk (1 qt)
- 1 C cream
- 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 3/4 C gruyere
- S+P
- Nutmeg
- Cayenne
- Soak cubes of bread in custard for at least 2 hours
- Bake 350º for 50-60 minutes
- Sprinkle with more cheese, then put under broiler for a few minutes
Tomato Side
- Cherry tomatoes in hot skillet
- Drizzle with EVOO
- Make bread crumbs with rustic day old loaf
Pulse in basil and oregano - Toast in EVOO until starts to brown
- Toss tomatoes
- Add basil leaves
- Sprinkle with toasted bread crumbs
- Plate next to egg (below) and sprinkle with Balsamic vinegar
- Splash canola in skillet
- Add thinly sliced ham
- Salt and pepper
- EVOO
- One egg on top of the ham
- Cover pan to cook 60 seconds covered
Serve ham egg, croque madame and tomatoes on a large plate
