Croissant Croque Madame with Béchamel Sauce

This croissant croque madame is a spin on the delicious French classic! Made with gruyere cheese, ham, and whole grain mustard, this is no ordinary ham sandwich. Enjoy it with a cup of coffee for an ideal brunch!

Ingredients

• Croissants: The flakier the croissant, the better. If you have a bakery nearby, we recommend getting them from there since they tend to be higher quality. We use rather large croissants for this recipe.
• Whole Grain Mustard: If you can’t find any whole grain mustard, you can substitute it for dijon.
• Ham: Make sure you get high quality slices of ham for the best croque madame.
• Gruyere Cheese: This type of sandwich is traditionally eaten with gruyere cheese. Alternatively, you can use Emmental or Comté cheese.
• Salted Butter: We use salted butter in this recipe, however, if you use unsalted butter, you may need to adjust the salt.
• All-Purpose Flour: This is used to make a roux for the béchamel sauce.
• Whole Milk: Whole milk is the base of the sauce and we recommend no substitutions for it as you may not get the same consistency as well as the rich flavor.
• Nutmeg: Besides salt and pepper, nutmeg is used to add flavor to the sauce.
• Salt & Pepper: These are used in the béchamel sauce.
• Eggs: It wouldn’t be a croque madame without the eggs! Fun fact: a croque madame is just a croque monsieur with an egg.
• Chives: These add a nice little pop of color and a bit of extra flavor.

FAQ

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Tips for the Best Croque Madame

• Use high quality ingredients. Don’t skimp on the ingredients, especially with the croissants. The flakier, the better!
• If your béchamel sauce is too thick, add a bit of milk until it reaches the consistency that you like. The sauce should be slightly thick, but you want it just thin enough to pour.
• Cook the béchamel sauce first. This is especially important as you don’t want your eggs to get cold while you’re making the sauce.
• Don’t skip the egg! Without the egg, this would just be a croque monsieur.

Recipe

Croissant Croque Madame with Béchamel Sauce

• Author: Nadine
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 4 sandwiches 1x
• Category: Brunch, Sandwiches
• Cuisine: French

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Description

This croissant croque madame is a spin on the delicious French classic! Enjoy it with a cup of coffee for the ideal brunch!

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

For the Croissant Croque Madame:

• 4 large croissants
• Whole grain mustard
• 2 cups (180 g) gruyere cheese, grated
• 8 slices of ham, thinly sliced
• 4 large eggs
• Chives, chopped

For the Béchamel Sauce:

• 2 ½ tbsp (35 g) salted butter
• ⅓ cup (40 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 2 cups (500 ml) whole milk
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp salt

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Instructions

For the Béchamel Sauce:

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Once melted, add the flour and whisk until it reaches a thick paste.
2. Gradually add the milk ½ cup (125 ml) at a time, whisking out any lumps. Continue to add the milk, whisking until everything is combined. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes or until it thickens. 
3. Mix in the nutmeg, pepper, and salt. Set aside.*

For the Croissant Croque Madame:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and turn on your oven’s broiler.
2. Cut the croissants in half and spread a thin layer of whole grain mustard on the inside of the top half.
3. Place each croissant cut side up on the baking sheet and spread ½ cup (45 g) of gruyere over both halves of each croissant.
4. Place 2 slices of ham on the bottom side of each croissant then put everything under the broiler just until the cheese is melted. This should take only a few minutes, but be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. Remove from the broiler and begin cooking the eggs.
5. Crack the eggs into a nonstick pan over medium heat. Cook for about 3 minutes or until the white has set.* Remove from the pan and place on the bottom half of the croissant.
6. Close the sandwich with the top half of the croissant and pour over the béchamel sauce. Top with chives and serve immediately.

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Notes

Béchamel Sauce: We recommend cooking this first, so the sandwich doesn’t get cold. If the sauce is cold, just heat it over medium-low heat until warm. If you find that it’s too thick, just add a bit of milk until it thins out a bit.

Eggs: We like fried eggs in our croque madame, but feel free to make the eggs however you want.

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