Croque Madame

For the bechamel:
Melt the butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Then whisk in flour. Continue whisking and cooking for 2-3 minutes. The flour mixture will be thick. Slowly whisk in milk, about ½ cup at a time. For the first cup, let the flour mixture absorb the milk before adding in more milk. It will first look like a paste, and then slowly thin out. Continue to cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens. This will take about 5-8 minutes.

Once thick, whisk in the salt, nutmeg and Parmesan. Continue whisking until the cheese melts. Remove from the heat and cool slightly while you get your other sandwich ingredients ready.

For assembling the sandwich:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 325 F. Cut the brioche into 8 thick slices. Lay out 4 slices and top with the sliced or shredded Gruyere. Next, top the cheese with the ham slices and a spoonful of bechamel. Top with the other brioche slices. Gently spread the top side of the brioche with the softened butter.

Preheat a large non-stick pan over medium low to medium heat. Place the brioche sandwiches into the pan with the buttered side down. While the brioche is browning, butter the other side of the sandwich. Cook for about 2 minutes, or when the bottom is golden. Once golden, flip the sandwich and brown the other side. Once the second side has browned, remove from the pan and place on the prepared baking sheet.

Top each sandwich with 2 tablespoons of béchamel and 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese. Place in the oven to melt the cheese, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Now make your fried egg. Today, I chose to do an over easy, but feel free to make a traditional sunny side up. Melt about 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium non-stick pan. Once the butter has melted, gently crack an egg into the pan. It should gently sizzle. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 90 seconds and then flip it over to cook the other side (about 90 more seconds). Cooking time will vary depending on how runny you want your yolk! Remove cooked egg(s) to a plate and finish cooking the rest.

Top each sandwich with a fried egg and serve immediately!

Slightly adapted from macrinabakery.com.