Croque Madame Recipe

This Croque Madame recipe is a wonderfully rich and decadent breakfast sandwich made with bacon and cheese on toasted bread, smothered in a homemade bechamel sauce and toasted until warm and gooey.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine French

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Servings servings

Calories 1185kcal

Author Danielle Wolter

Ingredients

5 slices cooked bacon
4 ounces Gruyere grated or sliced
2 eggs
4 pieces bread sliced ½ to 1" thick
1 cup Béchamel sauce (see below)

Béchamel Sauce:

4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups whole milk
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1-2 teaspoons salt (adjust to taste preference)

Instructions

Croque Madame:

Butter each side of the bread generously and toast until crisp and buttery on the outside, but soft on the inside.
Break the bacon slices in half and layer half of it on one toasted piece of bread.
Layer the sliced or grated gruyere on top of the bacon. Top the cheese with a layer of bechamel sauce.
Smear another layer of bechamel over the top of the bread and place in the oven (350 degrees) for about 10 minutes, or until everything gets nice and gooey.
Top with a fried egg.

Béchamel Sauce:

Melt the butter and add the flour, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes.
Add the milk while constantly whisking. Simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes, until slightly thickened. **The sauce should coat a spoon, but still be pourable.
For a thinner sauce, add additional milk until desired consistency is reached.
Stir in the salt and pepper. Add additional salt to taste.

Notes

If the bechamel sauce is too thick, thin it with a little milk until you reach the desired consistency. It should coat the spoon, but still be pourable.
Add extra salt to the bechamel to taste. I've included the minimum amount of salt as everyone has different preferences.
Add additional cheese to the top before broiling if you want an extra cheesy sandwich;
I highly recommend cooking the eggs sunny side up or poaching them. Learn how to poach an egg perfectly.

Nutrition