Serves four
You’ll want to start by baking off a pack of our Bake at Home croissants and letting them cool while you prepare the other elements.
You’ll Need
4 tbsp butter (plus 1 tbsp for cooking)
4 tbsp flour
2 ½ cups milk, (room temperature or warm)
nutmeg, to taste
Salt, and pepper to taste
8 slices ham
4 tbsp dijon mustard
2 cups gruyere, grated
4 Eggs
1 bunch Parsley
Method
Bechamel
In a small saucepan, melt butter then add flour and toast until blond. Slowly whisk in milk until fully incorporated, then season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer, remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Assembly
Preheat the oven to 180-200°C (fan forced or convection) for 30 minutes.
Slice croissants lengthwise, forming a top and bottom. Spoon on bechamel thickly and evenly across the bottom half, then sprinkle on your gruyere. Add sliced ham and lather Dijon mustard according to your personal taste. Repeat bechamel and gruyere on the other half, then sandwich the two together. On top of the croissant, lather with more bechamel and gruyere and freshly cracked pepper.
Place on an oven-safe baking sheet and bake until the top of the croque madame is golden brown and bubbling down, about 7-10 minutes.
Sunny side up egg
In a non-stick skillet, melt a small amount of butter or oil over low heat. Carefully crack an egg into the pan to preserve the yolk. As soon as the bottom of the egg white becomes opaque, place the pan in the oven for a few minutes or until the top of the egg white sets and also becomes opaque. Remove the egg from the pan and set it aside to prevent it from cooking the yolk further.
To Serve
Finely chop your parsley. Place a hot croissant on a plate and your sunny side up egg on top. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with a side salad of your favourite greens and dressing. We suggest a frisee salad and lemon dijon dressing.