Croque-Madame Sandwich
(Serves 6)
A Croque-Monsieur is a hot sandwich, made of two slices of buttered bread with the crusts removed, filled with thin slices of Gruyère cheese and ham. The bread is then lightly toasted in butter. A Croque-Madame is the same, but topped with an egg.
Ingredients
45 ml (3 tbsp) unsalted butter
45 ml (3 tbsp) flour
500 ml (2 cups) full cream milk, lukewarm
150 g (2 ½ cups) mature cheddar, grated
25 g (½ cup) finely grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
12 slices sour-dough bread, toasted
30 ml (6 tsp) Dijon mustard
12 slices black pepper pastrami
30 ml (2 tbsp) canola oil
12 eggs
Rocket leafs, washed for garnish
Directions
Heat butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and cook, whisking, until smooth, about 1 minute. Whisk in lukewarm milk, and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer until slightly reduced and thickened, approximately 5 minutes.
Add ½ cup grated mature cheddar and the Parmesan, and whisk until smooth. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Heat the oven to high. Place 6 slices bread on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and spread mustard over each. Top with 2 slices pastrami and the remaining mature cheddar. Grill until cheese begins to melt, 1–2 minutes. Top with remaining bread slices, then pour a generous amount of béchamel on top of each sandwich.
Grill until cheese sauce is bubbling and evenly browned, about 3–4 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add eggs, season with salt and pepper, and fry until whites are cooked but yolks are still runny, about 3 minutes.
Place the eggs on top of each sandwich, and serve hot.
Recipe from The Private Hotel School
Picture: Supplied