Croque Madame / Croque Monsieur

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Two Classic French Style Sandwiches. The Croque Madame and the Croque Monsieur. These are Hot, Ham and Cheese Sandwiches, with the addition of delicious bechamel sauce, which are grilled in the oven. The Croque Madame has one additional element; the fried Egg on top!

Both are delicious, indulgent sandwiches!

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♦Prep time:15MIN ♦Cook time:15MIN ♦Yield:4SERVINGS.

You can strike through ingredients, as you prep them, by clicking on the ingredient.

Ingredients:

Unsalted butter		1/4 cup (plus more for brushing)
Plain flour		1/3 cup
Hot milk		2 cups
Salt and Pepper		1/8 tsp each
Ground Nutmeg		1/8- 1/4 tsp
Egg		1
Egg Yolk		1
Mozzarella (grated)		1/2 cup
White sandwich bread ( sourdough or brioche are often used)		8 large slices
Picnic ham / Chicken Ham		4-8 slices (as desired)
Gruyere or Emmental Cheese (grated)		200 gms

Method:

1. Prepare the Bechamel Sauce:  Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the flour and stir to cook.
2. Mix in the flour till the lumps are gone and you get a smooth paste. You should continue till the color deepens a bit. This is your “roux”.
3. Now add the hot milk a little at a time, while at the same time using a wire whisk to continuously beat (to break up the lumps) and eventually get a silky smooth, thickened sauce. This process will take about a minute.
4. Stir in the salt, pepper, and ground nutmeg to suit your taste. Stir till the sauce thickens slightly.
5. Next, add the egg, and egg yolk, and stir briskly once more to get a homogenous silky smooth sauce.
6. Lastly, add the grated mozzarella and stir again till the cheese melts through. Set aside the bechamel sauce.
7. Preheat the oven to 150 ºC /300 Fº.
8. Brush a baking dish, lightly with melted butter and add 4 slices of bread.
9. Top with (about half the quantity of) the prepared Bechamel sauce. Spread evenly.
10. Add most of the grated Gruyere cheese over this. You will need some for the second layer.
11. Now place the picnic ham slices over this. Add 1 or 2 slices per bread (depending on how hungry you are). One slice is sufficient for me.
12. Top with another layer of bread slices brushed with a little melted butter.
13. Add the remaining bechamel sauce over the top and spread evenly.
14. Finally, add the remainder of the grated cheese.
15. Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, till the cheese melts and turns slightly golden. Gruyere cheese is a slow-melting cheese and doesn’t get too brown.
16. Meanwhile, you can prepare 4 sunny-side-up eggs if you are making Croque Madames.
17. Once baked, separate the 4 individual portions. Croque Monsieur is now ready to be served.
18. If serving Croque Madame, simply place a fried egg over the top et voilà. Bon Appétit!
    

Croque Madame / Croque Monsieur

Notes:

• You can add a little Dijon mustard over the bread slices before adding the bechamel sauce, prior to baking if you like the flavor.
• Bechamel can be made ahead of time, to prepare this dish very easily when you need it. It can be refrigerated for up to 3 days in advance. Reheat it in a saucepan over low heat, (or in the microwave, at bursts) adding a little milk if needed to loosen it to a pouring consistency.

Key Ingredients: Bread, Ham, Cheese, Butter, Milk, Flour, Spices, Salt and Egg.

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