Kicking off your weekend, it can be hard to stay on the right eating track when you’re trying to squeeze in catch-ups, gym time and your daily to-do lists!
Each week, we’ll bring you one quick recipe with lots of health benefits. Using common ingredients you’ll find in the fridge, press (or local shop at a push!), take the hassle out of home-cooking with this fast meal.
This week… we’re giving you the chance to recreate French favourite croque-madame from your kitchen cupboards!
Whether served with some fresh coffee for breakfast, or a side salad for a different take on dinner, this quick and easy dish is packed full of flavour.
Recipe:
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 475ml whole milk
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 100g coarsely grated Gruyère cheese (1 1/3 cups)
- 8 slices firm white sandwich bread
- 4 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 pound thinly sliced cooked ham (preferably Black Forest)
- 4 large eggs
Method:
Make sauce:
- Melt 3 tbsp butter in a heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, then whisk in flour and cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes.
- Stir in milk and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, 5 minutes.
- Whisk in salt, pepper, nutmeg, and 1/3 of the cheese until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and cover surface directly with a sheet of wax paper.
Make sandwiches:
- Spread 1 1/2 tbsp sauce evenly over each of 4 slices of bread, then sprinkle evenly with remaining cheese.
- Spread mustard evenly on remaining 4 bread slices and top with ham, dividing it evenly, then invert onto cheese-topped bread to form sandwiches.
- Lightly oil a 15- by 10-inch shallow baking pan.
- Melt 1 tbsp butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately low heat, then cook sandwiches, turning over once, until golden, 3 to 4 minutes total.
- Remove from heat and transfer sandwiches to baking pan, then wipe out pan with paper towels.
- Preheat grill.
- Top each sandwich with sauce, spreading evenly. Grill sandwiches 4 to 5 inches from heat until sauce is bubbling and golden in spots, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Turn off grill and transfer pan to lower third of oven to keep sandwiches warm.
- Heat remaining tbsp butter in nonstick pan over moderate heat until foam subsides, then crack eggs into pan and season with salt and pepper. Fry eggs, covered, until whites are just set and yolks are still runny, about 3 minutes. Top each sandwich with a fried egg and serve immediately.
Recipe adapted from epicurious 
