An amazing Croque Madame recipe for Mother’s Day!

“Treat your mother to this indulgent Croque Madame this Mother’s Day! As Julia Child said, ‘People who love to eat are always the best people’!” – Chef Kwek Xiurong (“XR”) Executive Chef at Thirtysix Brewlab and Smokehouse

Ingredients

• 2 slices of sourdough, toasted and buttered
• 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
• 25g of cooked ham
• 30g cheesy béchamel (below)
• 30g shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 egg cooked to your choice (poached, fried or scrambled)
• Optional (to decorate): salmon roe, chives, slow-roasted cherry tomato, watercress

Cheesy béchamel

• 100g unsalted butter
• 100g all-purpose flour
• 200g whole milk
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 100g mature cheddar cheese
• 80g parmesan cheese

Instructions

#1 To make the cheesy béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan and add flour.

#2 Whisk until smooth then slowly pour in the milk, a little at a time.

#3 Whisk continuously until the sauce is thick, then turn down the heat, add the spices and allow to simmer (gentle heat), stirring, until the sauce is thick and cooked through.

#4 Add in the cheese and let the heat of the sauce melt down the cheese.

#5 Once the sauce is cooked, season to taste.

#6 To assemble the Croque Madame, spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard on the toasted sourdough.

#7 Layer cheesy béchamel, cooked ham, more cheesy bechamel and sourdough in that order.

#8 Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese on the top of the sourdough and bake in the oven for three minutes for the cheese to melt.

#9 Add your choice of egg on top of the melted cheese.

#10 Season salt and pepper on the egg and sprinkle chopped chives to finish.

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This article first appeared in the April 2023 edition of Expat Living. You can purchase the latest issue or subscribe, so you never miss a copy!

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