Scrounging for lunch on a recent work-from-home day, we came up with a heel of bread, a hunk of gouda cheese, and a few eggs. We didn’t have high hopes for lunchtime satisfaction. But then we remembered an old favorite, the classic French croque madame.
The original dish is actually a croque monsieur. This pairs a thick slice of toast with a slice of ham and another slice of gruyere cheese. Under the broiler, this becomes bubbly and crusty. A croque madame is the same dish but with a fried egg on top.
Our lunchtime kitchen raid didn’t unearth ham or any other deli meat, so we simply skipped that ingredient. We also spread some spicy mustard on the bread for extra kick and substituted gouda for the gruyere. The bread and cheese went under the broiler while the egg was frying, and we had a tasty and satisfying meal in about five minutes. Yum.
Do you ever eat croque monsieurs or madames? What’s your favorite version?
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(Image: Emma Christensen)
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sounds so much better than egg and cheese sandwich...
i had my first one a few weeks ago. i'm still thinking about it.
My favorite sandwich of all time!!! I know what I'm having for lunch tomorrow when I'm working from home!
wait, just double-checking here: you cook the egg separately on a skillet? because tonight is breakfast-for-dinner night in my house, and that's looking pretty fabulous.
I don't eat meat, so it's always a meatless Croque Madame for me, but it's one of my favs! I like to make it with a little dijon mustard, sliced granny smith apple and brie: a croque mademoiselle as I like to call it!
I've been making this for years, but I didn't know it had a name!
Yup, fry the eggs on their own and then slide them on top of the cheesy toast!
This is toast with cheese and a fried egg. Not that I don't think it's delicious, but...
i tried it with some veggie bacon (broiled with the toast and cheese in the oven) under the egg. delicious! thanks!
My favorite variation involves crab spread/dip/stuff instead of ham. It's amazing.
Hey, I did this recently with a boiled egg and havarti on homemade rye! Yummy.
http://carissabyers.blogspot.com/2010/05/simple-foods.html
Simply brilliant!! I like croque madame et monsieur, but I don't like ham. Perfect. Thanks
I like traditional croque monsieur with bechamel, ham and cheese - if I make bechamel for something else (i.e lasagne) I keep some leftovers and make a croque monsieur for lunch the next day. I don't make rich dishes with bechamel very often so I don't have croque monsieur very often but it's a real treat. Yum yum yum!!
It is great! better than egg and cheese sandwich.
ahh put a fried egg on any sandwich and i am so good. i recently put one on a BLT i made. perfection...
That sandwich makes me want to cry.