Croque Madame
Instructions
Croque Madame:
How to serve:
Tips
A perfect version of this French classic deserves a well-fried egg as its crowning glory. Whether you prefer your fried eggs sunny-side up or over easy, the best fried eggs have a crispy, golden edge and a runny yolk that can create that delicious Croque Madame sauce to complement the crispy bread and cheese crust.
Tips
Frying your eggs in a cast iron pan is an easy way to ensure that the edges of the egg whites become deliciously crispy as this type of pan retains heat very well. As the recipe states, your fried eggs should be cooked at low to medium heat. Allow time for the pan to heat properly to make sure that the eggs do not stick to it while also ensuring that the golden egg yolks do not cook too quickly or harden up. Cracking the eggs into a bowl rather than directly into the pan will give you more evenly and tightly shaped eggs that will look great on top of the Croque Madame.
Questions about Croque Madame
With our simple recipe for Croque Madame, you can prepare a delicious, French classic in under half an hour. Learn more about the well-known hot sandwich by looking at our answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the dish.
Ingredients
Croque Madame:
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Grated mozzarella cheese, 13%
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75 g |
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Sour cream, 5%
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½ dl |
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Dijon mustard
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2 tsp |
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Coarse salt
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½ tsp |
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Wholemeal bread, for instance, sourdough
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4 slices |
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Boiled, smoked ham (approx. 100 g)
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2 slices |
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Tomatoes
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4 slices |
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Butter
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5 g |
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Eggs
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2 |
Side dish:
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Rinsed, green lettuce
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100 g |
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White wine vinegar
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1 tsp |
Garnish:
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Freshly ground pepper
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Croque Madame – a French classic
Typically eaten as a quick snack, Croque Madame is a French café classic. The dish and the similar Croque Monsieur have been popularised across the world where they are now also enjoyed as a lunch or breakfast dish. The tomatoes we have chosen to include in our recipe for Croque Madame add a bit of natural sweetness that complements the salty, smoked ham as well as the richness of the cheese and the runny fried egg.
Serve a quick and fancy lunch or snack
While a Croque Madame toast may certainly be enjoyed on its own, serving it with a small side dish of some sort transforms it from a snack into a fancy lunch. There are many options for what to serve with the crunchy, cheesy sandwich but going with a simple green salad as we suggest works incredibly well as it brightens the dish without stealing the spotlight. The crispy lettuce tossed with a bit of tangy white wine vinegar is refreshing as a fresh, light companion to the rich sandwich.
A classic with grilled bread and melted cheese
The best Croque Madame recipe yields an elevated grilled cheese sandwich with many different textures and flavours. It has crunchy bread, a crispy melted cheese crust flavoured with sharp, tangy Dijon mustard, soft and sweet tomatoes, salty and chewy ham, and a rich, runny egg yolk that almost makes for a kind of sauce giving it a complex flavour profile that makes it a scrumptious addition to your rotation of easy lunch recipes.
Has this delicious, golden sandwich gotten you in the mood for more French lunch, brunch, or breakfast classics? Then have a look at our recipe for salade Niçoise and quiche Lorraine. We guarantee that you will not be disappointed.
Add your own touch
A delicious way to experiment with your homemade Croque Madame is to wrap it in strips of bacon. The combination of bacon and eggs makes it perfect as a sturdy breakfast or the main course of your next brunch spread.
After assembling the sandwich, wrap it in bacon strips. Fry it for 2-3 minutes on each side in a pan using just a bit of oil. It may be a good idea to start by frying the side that has the ends of the bacon strips, so they stick properly to the bread. After frying on both sides, transfer the sandwich to a preheated oven and bake for 5-7 minutes as you prepare the fried eggs which may be cooked in the bacon grease.
Garnishing your bacon-wrapped French sandwich with herbs like chives, parsley, or thyme adds a bit of freshness as well as a beautiful splash of colour that serves to brighten and lighten the slightly heavier and saltier sandwich. If you want to lean into the decadent, heavy side, though, you can serve it with a rich and creamy bechamel sauce, which is also one of the more classic ways of serving this.
