Ham and cheese gruyere croque madame. A croque madame is so much more than a grilled ham and cheese. Croque madame is a classic French sandwich made with grilled ham, gruyere cheese, a bechamel aka a white sauce, and a fried egg. It's crispy, buttery, cheesy, and obviously, delicious!

Croque Madame (Croque Monsieur w/ fried egg). My favourite way to use ham is Croque Madame which is essentially a French grilled ham and cheese on steroids because it is topped with béchamel, a thick white sauce. I saw this muffin tin version on Rachel Khoo's Little Paris Kitchen show. You can cook Ham and cheese gruyere croque madame using 9 ingredients and 7 steps. Here is how you achieve it.

Ingredients of Ham and cheese gruyere croque madame

It's 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter.
Prepare 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour.
It's 1 cup of whole milk.
Prepare 1 cup of shredded gruyere cheese.
It's 5 teaspoons of dijon mustard.
Prepare of salt and pepper for taste.
It's 4 of large eggs.
You need 8 slices of bread, firm good quality(i used rye).
Prepare .5 pound of black forest ham.

I really like her show because she puts a new spin on French. I've heard a tale that the croque monsieur was discovered by French workmen who placed their lunch pails next to a radiator. When they sat down to eat, their ham and cheese sandwiches had melted from the heat. Gruyère cheese and ham just belong together.

Ham and cheese gruyere croque madame step by step

In a small sauce pan melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium low heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Let bubble, don't brown. Whisk frequently for 1 minute..
Gradually whisk in warm milk(I used cream for a thicker sauce). Raise the heat to medium and bring to a boil. While whisking frequently. Reduce heat and simmer, whisk frequently until thickened. About 5 minutes..
Remove from heat. Stir in .75 cups of cheese and 1 teaspoon of mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and place plastic wrap directly onto the surface of sauce and let cool..
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange bread slices on sheet(I placed a pat of butter on each slice). While baking turn once until toasted on both sides. About 10 minutes, remove from oven and set aside..
In a frying pan melt rest of butter. Cook the eggs and season with salt and pepper to your desire. Just make sure the egg white is cooked..
Preheat the broiler. Spread remaining mustard on 4 slices of bread. Place equal amounts of ham on bread(i used baked ham and think the thick ham would be better). Then spread cheese sauce 1 tablespoon on each slice..
After sand which is built spread more cheese sauce on top and sprinkle remaining grated cheese on top as well. Place in oven and cooked till cheese is boiling and brown. Remove and plate then put fried egg on top. And enjoy..

The word croque comes from the verb croquer or "to crunch". So a Croque-Monsieur roughly translates to The feminine version, a "Croque Madame", includes a fried egg on top. This classic French bistro sandwich is a great way to use up leftover ham. How to Make Croque Madame (Ham and Cheese Sammie). Do not walk away from this sauce.