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    Recipes » Main Course Recipes » French Main Courses

    Almost Croque-Madame

    Published: Jul 18, 2014 · Modified: Apr 24, 2019 by Marissa Stevens · 5 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links.

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    I first tried Croque-Madame at my favorite bakery in Olympia, Washington, The Bread Peddler. I miss that bakery. Not that I'm complaining, Bend has several that I enjoy just as well. But The Bread Peddler is not to be missed should you find yourself in Olympia.

    Anyway, back to the Croque-Madame. It's wonderful: toasted bread, salty rich ham, creamy béchamel, melty cheese, and a sunny-side up egg.

    Almost-Croque-Madame__

    You may have noticed that I like open faced sandwiches (like Welsh Rarebit and Egg Salad) and that I like to to top things with fried eggs, for example: Cauliflower Fried Rice, Sweet Potato Hash and Corned Beef Hash. So it won't surprise you to know that I choose not top this with a second slice of bread as some versions do and that I prefer Croque-Madame to Croque-Monsieur, the only difference being a fried egg. And though I don't dislike it, I find the béchamel unnecessary.

    Thus, 'Almost Croque-Madame'. 

    Croque-Madame-Ingredients

    Not only does the lack of béchamel and one less slice of bread make this lighter than the classic, it's much simpler to make and is just as delicious.

    Be sure to have all of your ingredients ready to assemble before you begin making the sandwiches. The trickiest part is timing the fried egg to coincide with the sandwiches' first pass under the broiler without overcooking either. It may take a couple of tries to get it just right, but I doubt you'll mind.

    Serve this alone or pair it with a steaming hot bowl of Tomato Bisque or Vegan Butternut Squash Soup.

    Almost Croque-Madame

    Marissa Stevens
    'Almost Croque-Madame' - this version of the classic French Bistro sandwich is open-faced and sans béchamel.
    Save Recipe Saved! Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Total Time 20 mins
    Course Breakfast, Main Course, Snack
    Cuisine French
    Servings 2 people
    Calories 392 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 1-inch slices crusty peasant bread toasted, I used whole wheat levain
    • 4 teaspoons salted butter
    • 4 ounces thinly sliced ham
    • 2 ounces Comté or Gruyere shredded
    • 2 eggs fried sunny-side up**
    • olive oil or butter for frying eggs
    • salt and freshly ground black pepper

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat broiler.
    • Place toasted bread on broiler safe baking sheet. Spread 2 teaspoons of butter on each slice. Top each slice with 2 ounces ham and ½ ounce cheese. Broil, just until cheese is melted and bubbly.
    • Remove from oven and top each slice with a fried egg. Season to taste with salt and pepper and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve.

    Notes

    If you like your egg to stay sunny-side up, don't divide the cheese among two layers and top with the fried egg just before serving.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 392kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 26gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 252mgSodium: 907mgPotassium: 250mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 756IUCalcium: 319mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?I'd love to see it! Tag me on Instagram at @pinchandswirl or leave me a comment and rating below.

    More French Main Courses

    • Breakfast Quiche
    • Vegetarian French Onion Soup
    • Jambon-Beurre Sandwich
    • Chicken Ballotine

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Cheryl says

      August 08, 2014 at 5:55 pm

      Mmm, this makes me crave the croques madame my husband and I ate on our honeymoon.. yummm. Weirdly enough I thought I almost spied a nice thick slab of smoked salmon on this at first glance (maybe the yolk poking through?), which actually sounds REALLY good.. I think?!

      Lovely!

      Reply
    2. Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says

      July 20, 2014 at 4:53 am

      Marissa that looks better than any Croque Madame that I've had lately! 😛

      Reply
      • Marissa says

        July 20, 2014 at 9:30 am

        Thanks Lorraine!

        Reply
    3. PassTheKnife says

      July 18, 2014 at 11:20 am

      I agree the béchamel is a little too much! I love this recipe, the only thing I might add is some dijon mustard..mmm!

      Reply
      • Marissa says

        July 18, 2014 at 12:52 pm

        I agree! Dijon mustard would be perfect with this...

        Reply

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