Ham and Cheese a la Francaise

To continue the week of French cooking I’m going to cook croque madame’s tonight. A croque madame is a ham and cheese sandwich that is topped with a fried egg. A croque mousier is the same thing sans the egg.

I had my first croque at a Belgium restaurant in New York called Petite Abeille. This mini restaurant chain is a fabulous spot for brunch, lunch or dinner. It was at brunch that I first discovered the magic that is a croque madame sandwich. It wasn’t until later at home when I was surfing the net that I discovered that there are two traditional ways to make a croque madame. The first way involved grilling the ham and cheese assembled sandwich in a frying pan before topping it with the fried egg. The second involves grilling the ham and cheese sandwich and then topping it with Béchamel sauce and placing it under a broiler, and only then topping it with the fried egg.

I was totally intrigued by the idea of adding to an already delicious sandwich with a dollop of the creamy, beautiful sauce that is Béchamel. Béchamel is one of the mother sauces of French cooking. The mother sauce term is used to describe sauces that make up the foundation of French cooking (which traditionally is a very sauce heavy food culture). The mother sauces include: Béchamel (flour and milk based), Espagnole (based on brown stock such as beef), Hollandaise (egg based emulsion), Tomato sauce and Velouté (based on light stock such as chicken or fish).

Béchamel is created by cooking melted butter and flour and then adding milk. To this sauce you can add many ingredients, including cheese and fresh herbs, and this makes it one of the most versatile recipes out there. It is the basic white sauce that is the foundation of many popular dishes including lasagna and macaroni and cheese. Don’t be daunted by all the fancy cooking terms though, a basic Béchamel is easy to master and a great cooking trick to have up your sleeve.

To assemble a great croque madame it is crucial to have great ingredients on hand. Cooking a great meal is so much easier when you have fresh, wonderful items to make it from. For a croque madame don’t skimp and get the best deli ham you can find and ensure that Gruyere cheese is the only cheese you use. For the bread I find really fresh white sandwich bread is the best, nothing too crusty though.

Anyway, here’s the recipe:

Croque Madame

Serves 4

8 slices white sandwich bread
8 thin slices of deli ham
8 slices of Gruyere cheese
Butter for frying
4 eggs
Salt and pepper

Béchamel Sauce
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
4 Tbsp flour
2 cups milk
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

Make the Béchamel sauce first. In a small saucepan melt the butter until it is foamy. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. This cooks out the powdery taste of the flour. Slowly add the milk and stir constantly (I use a whisk at this point) until the mixture comes to a boil. Now, lower the temperature to low and cook the sauce (again stirring constantly) for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of the nutmeg. Put the sauce on the back of the stove and start making the sandwiches.

Preheat your broiler and then assemble the sandwiches with a couple of slices of ham and cheese in each. Melt a knob of butter in a frying pan over medium high heat and brown the sandwiches on each side one at a time (or if your frying pan is huge to two at a time).

Once the sandwiches are done place them on a cookie sheet lined with non-stick aluminum foil. Top each sandwich with enough Béchamel sauce to cover the top and maybe have a little bit dripping over the side. Place the sandwiches under the broiler for two minutes or so. As every broiler is different keep an eye on them. You want the tops of the sandwiches bubbling and golden brown, not burnt. While the sandwiches are broiling, cook the eggs to your liking in the frying pan, making sure to sprinkle the tops of the yolks with a little bit of salt and pepper. If the sandwiches finish before the eggs, just turn off the broiler and keep the sandwiches in the oven to keep warm. When all is ready remove the sandwiches from the oven and top each one with an egg. I serve a croque madame with a tossed green salad. Enjoy!