Most classic sandwiches offer little room for improvement.
That said, there is always wiggle room, so let¡¯s remix the classic croque madame. Hot sandwiches in particular appear easy but fall short of expectations when key elements are overlooked or rushed.
What follows is more of a technique than a rigid recipe. By cooking the bread on top of an omelet then folding it into the filling, the fried egg usually served atop our croque madame finds its way inside the sandwich. There¡¯s also a bit of fun in frying the cheese on the outside to texturally contrast the melted center.
The shopping and chopping will take far longer than the cooking of this French favorite. The genius of the madame (or its counterpart, the croque monsieur) is that it¡¯s greater than the sum of its parts. If you take the time to make or procure good, homemade or artisanal bread, you¡¯ll taste the difference. Not all ingredients need be boutique; mozzarella cheese slices, for example, work fine for the filling.
Finally, if it doesn¡¯t crunch, it is not a croque, so don¡¯t be afraid to cook the sandwich a couple of minutes extra low and slow if needed. Great by itself, with a crisp apple and nuts or home fries and pickles any time of the day. Salad and soup too, perfection.
Serves 1
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
? 2 eggs
? 10 milliliters mirin, optional
? 2 grams salt
? 10 grams butter
? 2 slices rye bread
? 5 grams Dijon mustard
? 2 or 3 slices mozzarella
? 20 grams Gouda cheese, grated
? 20 grams (4 slices) nama (dry-cured) ham
1. In a small bowl, mix together your eggs, salt and mirin ¡ª if you like the lightly sweet tamagoyaki (Japanese omelet) vibe.
2. Arrange your mozzarella and ham on kitchen paper and spread with mustard.
3. Preheat a frying pan on medium, and, once warm, melt the butter and add the egg.
4. While the egg mixture is still wet, place your bread on top, flat edge to flat edge.
5. Wait one minute, then use a spatula to turn over both slices of bread so the omelet faces upward.
6. Transfer the cheese and ham to one slice of eggy bread and fold the other on top, tucking in any omelet flaps.
7. The residual butter should be enough to fry the sandwich; if not, add a little extra.
8. Once one side is crispy, move it to the side of your pan and add the gouda directly to the pan, then flip the uncooked side of the sandwich on top.
9. Fry until the cheese is crispy and darkly golden brown, then cut and serve with your choice of sides.
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