Try this take on a classic croque madame with a peppery kick.
A croque madame is simply a croque monsieur with a poached or fried egg on top. The difference between the two sandwiches is how the egg is incorporated into the rest of the ingredients: In a croque monsieur, the bread is dipped into the beaten egg before it’s cooked (French toast-style).
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Serves 2
Ingredients
- Mornay sauce (Béchamel with gruyere added)
- 4 slices thick brioche or crusty white bread
- 2 eggs
- Butter
- Dijon mustard
- 2 slices thick cut ham
- 100g Gruyere, grated
- 50g watercress, removing any thick stalks
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180˚. Butter all sides of the brioche/bread. In a pan over a medium heat, fry the bread on all sides, flipping once.
- To make your sandwich, spread a thin layer of mustard on 2 slices of the bread. On the other 2 slices, spread some mornay sauce. On top of the Mornay, layer the ham, watercress and gruyere before sandwiching with a slice of the mustard bread.
- Warm the sandwiches in the oven so that the cheese melts. Meanwhile, fry the eggs.
- To serve, lay a fried egg on the top of each sandwich, adding more Mornay sauce if desired.
