French Food Friday - Croque Madame

  photo and recipe from here

It has been a very busy week and we are both looking forward to the weekend.

The weather forecast is for showers, perfect for a lazy Sunday brumch and croque madame comes to mind.

A croque-madame is a variation on the croque-monsieur, a French twist on grilled ham and cheese sandwich. Made with crème fraiche rather than béchamel, this classic variation of croque monsieur is delicious and super quick to make.

Serves: 2
Preparation time:  10 minutes
Cooking time:  8 minutes

You will need

4 slices of soft white Pain de Champagne bread or white toast bread
2 tsp butter
1 tsp Dijon mustard
4 tbsp crème fraiche
100g grated Gruyère cheese
2 slices of good quality carved ham from a deli or deli counter (from the bone)
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 large eggs

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 5
2. Spread the butter on both sides of the bread, then spread one side with Dijon mustard. Spread on one tablespoon of crème fraiche, sprinkle on half the grated cheese and lay on the slice of ham and sandwich together. Spread the top layer of the sandwiches with the rest of the crème fraiche, then sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.
3. Place the sandwich on a baking sheet and bake for six to seven minutes until the cheese has melted and gone gooey on top.

4. While the sandwiches are baking, heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the egg for one to two minutes, basting the yolk with the hot oil as it cooks. Drain on kitchen paper and serve immediately on top of the sandwiches. 

....bon appetit à tous, Leeann x