Croque-Madame

Ingredients

8

slices of bread

2 tsp

butter

8

large slices of ham, thin

1 cup / 250 ml

grated mozzarella

1 tbsp

olive oil

4

Nestlaid shell eggs, large

Bechamel:

1/3 cup / 75 ml

all-purpose flour

1/3 cup / 75 ml

butter, cubed

3/4 cup / 175 ml

milk

pinch

salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 420F.

2. On a lined baking sheet, place 4 bread slices and spread half a teaspoon of butter on each. Add 2 slices of ham to each buttered bread. Set aside.

3. In a pot, on low to medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and stir well, you will get a paste, this is your roux.

4. Add the milk gradually and keep stirring until your bechamel becomes velvety and has a consistency thicker than a sauce or gravy.

5. Spread a tablespoon of bechamel on top of each ham/bread.

6. Top with the 4 other slices of bread to complete the sandwich and add another tablespoon of bechamel on the bread. If you have a little bit of bechamel left, spread a little bit more on each bread so the top slice is fully covered with bechamel.

7. Lastly, sprinkle with the grated cheese (about a quarter of a cup for each sandwich)

8. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes.

9. While your croque-monsieur is in the oven, make 4 sunny side eggs: on medium-low, in a hot pan, pour some olive oil and crack the eggs. If your pan is not big enough, do 2 at a time. Add a pinch of salt on each.

10. Once the croque-monsieur are ready, take them out of the oven and add the sunny side eggs on top each of them: Bonjour Croque-Madame!

Tips

1. The bechamel will come together more easily if you pour warm milk over your roux. Just heat it up for 20 seconds in the microwave.