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The lusciously rich and cheesy croque-madame sandwich is a variation on the famous croque-monsieur. The croque-madame is similar to the croque-monsieur in almost every way. Both include ham, a creamy béchamel sauce, and Gruyère cheese, but the croque-madame is topped off with a fried egg. The runny egg yolk adds a rich sauciness to this substantial sandwich.
Meet Mr. and Mrs. Crunch
Fun fact: “croque-monsieur” means Mr. Crunch, while “croque-madame” means “Mrs. Crunch.”
This hot sandwich makes any occasion extra special. Serve a croque-madame for breakfast or brunch, or make a batch for dinner and serve with a salad on the side. Don’t forget the knife and fork—this isn’t a sandwich you can easily pick up.
Mind Your Mise en Place and Timing
It’s essential to read the recipe carefully and have all your ingredients, pans, and utensils ready. It’s a fast and easy preparation, but the recipe has several time-sensitive cooking steps.
What Does a Croque-Madame Contain?
Here’s everything you’ll need to make a classic croque-madame.
Bread: Choose a bread that’s somewhat soft and not overly thick for your sandwich. Sliced brioche or country-style bread are excellent choices, or use your favorite sourdough or white sandwich bread.
Ham: Use thinly sliced leftover baked ham or good-quality deli ham for these sandwiches. French-style jambon de Paris is a great choice.
Béchamel Sauce: Béchamel is a basic white sauce that’s so much more than the sum of its parts (which are simply butter, flour, milk, and a few seasonings). It adds a wonderful creaminess to the classic croque-monsieur and croque-madame.
Cheese: Both the croque-monsieur and the croque-madame typically contains nutty Gruyère cheese and sometimes Parmesan as well, as in this recipe. All of the Parmesan and half of the Gruyère are stirred into the béchamel—the addition of cheese technically transforms the béchamel into a mornay sauce. Then the rest of the grated Gruyère is sprinkled into the sandwich to create a gooey, melted layer of goodness.
Dijon Mustard: While spreading the sandwich with Dijon mustard is optional, it adds a wonderful sharpness that plays nicely against all the rich ingredients.
Butter: You’ll need unsalted butter to make the béchamel and to cook the sandwiches and the fried eggs. It’s pretty butter-forward recipe, and that’s part of what makes it such a treat!
Fried Egg: Along with the croque-monsieur’s bread, ham, creamy sauce, and cheese, the croque-madame gets a fried egg topper. While you can fry the eggs any way you like them, a runny yolk adds to the luxuriousness of this sandwich.
A “Hat” Is the One Difference Between a Croque-Monsieur and a Croque-Madame
As noted above, the only difference between a croque-monsieur and a croque-madame is that a croque-madame is topped with a fried egg. The croque-madame is thought to get its feminine name from the fact that the fried egg resembles a woman’s hat.
