Southern Belle Croque Madame Recipes

SOUTHERN BELLE CROQUE MADAME

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400*F.
• For the bechamel sauce: Melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium low heat in a small saucepan and whisk in the flour, cooking for 1-2 minutes.
• Whisk the milk into the butter/flour mixture and bring to a bubble, then turn heat to low.
• Season the mixture by adding the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and Dijon mustard.
• Remove from heat when sauce coats the back of a spoon.
• Add ½ cup grated Gruyere and the Parmesan, stirring until incorporated, and set aside.
• To prepare the polenta: Cut into ½ inch slices and pan fry on both sides in 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat until crispy & golden brown.
• Place pan-fried polenta slices onto a lightly oiled baking sheet.
• To assemble the "sandwiches": Top half of the polenta slices with a dollup of bechamel sauce, 2 slices of bacon each (folded or torn to fit), and sprinkle with half the remaining Gruyere.
• Top each with another piece of pan-fried polenta.
• Sprinkle with the remaining Gruyere and bake the "sandwiches" for 5 minutes.
• Remove from the oven.
• Using a spatula, top each open-faced sandwich with a fried egg, sunny-side up.
• Slather the tops with the cheese sauce and garnish with chopped herbs if desired.
• Serve hot.

CLASSIC CROQUE MADAME

Steps:

• BÉCHAMEL SAUCE:.
• In a small saucepan over medium heat, add butter. When melted, add flour and whisk for a few minutes to cook out the raw taste.
• Add 2 tablespoons cold milk, and whisk constantly until the mixture gets thick. Add 1 tablespoons cold milk at a time, whisking between each addition. Continue adding milk until the consistency of the sauce gets creamy but not too thin so it's spreadable.
• Transfer the sauce to a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap making sure it touches the surface to prevent skin formation and chill for at least 20 minutes.
• SANDWICHES:.
• Preheat oven to 400ºF/200ºC and cover a baking sheet with foil; set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine grated Gruyère, milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper; stir until cheese has absorbed the milk and set aside.
• Spread a thin layer of chilled béchamel on two slices. Spread Dijon mustard on the other two. Place 3 slices of ham on the sauce before spreading on half of the cheese mixture. Cover with the other two slices, mustard side down and then press gently.
• Spread the remaining béchamel sauce on top of those 2 slices. Add the remaining cheese and place the sandwiches on the prepared baking sheet.
• Transfer to the preheated oven and bake until golden, about 10 to 12 minutes.
• About 5 minutes before time is up, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. When melted and it starts sizzling, crack the eggs; season with salt and pepper.
• After 2 minutes when the whites are almost set, cover and cook for just 30 seconds.
• Place one cooked egg on each sandwich and serve immediately with a salad.

CROQUE MADAME

Steps:

• For the bechamel sauce: Bring the milk to a simmer. Melt the butter in a medium saucepot, and then whisk in the flour until a smooth white roux forms. Slowly whisk in the milk, and then bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and season with salt and pepper.
• For the herbed aioli: Whisk the egg yolks until smooth, and then slowly and continuously whisk in the vegetable oil until it's all incorporated and looks like mayonnaise. Stir in the oregano, rosemary, thyme and garlic and season with salt.
• For assembling the sandwich: Brush the clarified butter on 1 side of each bread slice, and then toast the slices butter side-down until brown on a hot griddle or in a nonstick pan. While the bread is toasting, spread 1 teaspoon of the herbed aioli on the non-buttered side of the bread.
• Preheat the broiler.
• Fold the ham slices in half and heat on a griddle or in a nonstick pan, trying to shape the ham so it's the same size as the bread. Top one of the toast slices with the tomatoes, followed by the ham. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the ham, and then broil the cheese side of the sandwich until it starts to bubble and caramelize. Close the sandwich with the other piece of toast.
• Cook the egg sunny side-up and place on top of the sandwich. Pour 1/3 cup of the bechamel sauce on top and garnish with scallions and fresh cracked black pepper. Eat it.