This is probably the BEST ham and cheese sandwich in the world! I only tasted one once in a French restaurant in San Antonio and I have been craving it ever since. The Croque Madam I made for brunch this morning ticked all the boxes except for the egg, and that was my fault. Different stove. Different frying pan. I totally misjudged what I was doing with the egg.

I wanted a fried egg over easy but I wound up fixing one just like my Mom used to put on my plate every morning before school when I was too young to know what was good. At that time, I thought a runny yolk would kill me. I’m glad I finally grew up.

I have several recipes for Croque Madam in my recipe file. They are practically identical. I guess a classic is a classic, no matter how you look at it. This recipe is based on one from Food & Wine I stumbled on recently, reminding me how much I wanted to make one. Today seemed like a good day.

Try it, I think you ‘ll like it. The crispy crust was the BEST!

NOTE: Toss together the salad (except for the vinaigrette) before you do anything else. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and refrigerate to keep the Romaine fresh and crisp. Next, grate the cheese, then make the Mornay sauce before you do anything else. You can cover it with a lid, but set the lid askew so liquid doesn’t form on the Mornay sauce and make it too thin. You do not need to keep it warm, but you do want it to be thick!

Croque Madame

Serves 2

Serve the sandwiches with a salad of bite sized Romaine, Clementine orange sections, and sliced green onions tossed with a slightly sweet vinaigrette to compliment the rich savoriness of the sandwiches. I like Brianna’s Blush Vinaigrette.

• 4 ounces Gruyere cheese

• Mornay Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup whole milk
  • 1-ounce grated Gruyère cheese, above
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

• Sandwiches
  • 4 (1/2-inch-thick) good-quality firm white sandwich bread slices. NOTE: I use fresh bakery Italian bread cut from a round.
  • Softened butter4 tablespoons Mornay Sauce, above
  • 2-ounces grated Gruyère cheese, above
  • Four 1/8-inch slices of cooked ham, cut to fit bread slices
  • Dijon mustard, to taste
  • Remaining Mornay sauce, above
  • 1-ounce grated Gruyère cheese, above

• Eggs
  • Butter
  • 2 large eggs

• Garnish
  • Chopped fresh chives or green part of scallions
  • Flaky sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

For Gruyere:

Grate Gruyere cheese on the small teardrop holes of a box grater. Separate grated cheese into three mounds: two 1-ounce mounds and one 2-ounce mound. Set aside until needed for Mornay sauce and sandwiches.

For Mornay sauce:

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium until foamy. Whisk in flour; cook, whisking constantly, until light golden, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk; bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook, whisking often, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add 1 ounce of grated Gruyère and whisk until melted. Stir salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the Mornay sauce. NOTE: Cover the pot with a lid set slightly askew so moisture doesn’t form on the sauce. Alternately, cover the surface of the sauce directly with plastic wrap for up to 1 hour.

For sandwiches:

Preheat oven to broil with a rack about 8 inches from the heat source.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Spread 1 side of bread slices evenly with butter. Place bread slices, buttered side down, in skillet; cook until toasted and golden, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer grilled bread to a work surface or cooling rack. DO NOT allow toasts to steam.

Arrange 2 of the bread slices on the work surface, toasted side down. On each slice, evenly spread 2 tablespoons Mornay, covering the surface. Sprinkle each slice with 1-ounce grated Gruyère, and top the cheese with 2 slices of ham. Spread Dijon mustard evenly on the untoasted sides of the remaining 2 bread slices, covering the surface; place the bread mustard side down on top of the ham-topped slices. Spread remaining Mornay sauce evenly on top of sandwiches, then top with remaining 1-ounce grated Gruyère. Transfer sandwiches to a rimmed baking sheet covered with foil, and broil in a preheated oven until cheese has melted and the top is bubbly and browning in spots, 5 to 7 minutes.

For eggs:

Meanwhile, melt butter in a cleaned nonstick skillet over medium-high. Crack eggs into skillet; fry eggs to desired doneness, preferably with whites set and runny yolks.

To serve:

Top each sandwich with a fried egg; garnish with chives of chopped scallions, Maldon sea salt, and additional pepper.