Early on in the trip, a group of us ventured to Harrod's to look at all the pretty merchandise that we couldn't possibly afford, as one does. We happened to exit through a different door than we entered and stumbled upon what I think was the best discovery of the entire trip. Patisserie Valerie is a phenomenal French cafe and bakery where we ended up having lunch that day.
I vowed that on our last day, I would return and have my favorite meal of the trip, no matter where it was. Patisserie Valerie was it, and this was my attempt to recreate that fantastic meal.
The Meal: Croque Madame
(Obligatory tourist phone booth shot)
(Meg and I model our purchases from the Harrod's clearance rack - which still cost a pretty pound.)
The croque madame is the perfect excuse to essentially eat a breakfast sandwich at any time of the day. It'd be quite a heavy breakfast, but makes for a very satisfying brunch or dinner. And, come on...eggs, cheese, ham, and more cheese? What couldn't you like about this?
The Ingredients (Serves Two): Sourdough bread (or any stiff white bread)
Olive oil
6 oz. black forest ham, sliced thinly
3 oz. gruyere
3 slices gouda
Mayo
4 eggs
2 tbsp. butter
Salt, to taste
The Directions: Cut four slices of the bread, a little less than an inch thick.
Brush one side of each slice liberally with olive oil.
Place two slices, oil side down, on a baking sheet. Now, you'll begin building your masterpiece. Slice the gruyere however you see fit, and place an even layer of the cheese on the bread.
Ours is a little rustic. Bill doesn't believe in "kitchen gadgets" like a cheese slicer, and the block of cheese was really small. Oops.
Roll the slices of ham like you would for a deli platter, and line those little soldiers up on top of the cheese.
Next, MORE CHEESE. Always more cheese. The rest of the gruyere.
Top it all with the other slice of sourdough, oil side up.
Now, they're ready for the oven. Broil on high for about 3-4 minutes, and remove when golden brown on top. Flip them over and repeat. Watch them closely, as they can go from golden brown to charred and inedible in a flash. You just want to melt the gruyere and let the bread get nice and crunchy.
While the sandwiches are cooking the second side, you'll cook the eggs. I prefer them over easy for this dish. But, Bill also doesn't believe in "non-stick pans," so I couldn't do my egg flip as I've perfected it cooking myself breakfast every morning. So, we had to settle for sunny side up eggs. Either way, you want to break the yolk when you eat the sandwich so that it runs gloriously over the entire plate. YUM.
Melt 1 tbsp. of butter, or coat the pan with non-stick spray. Crack two eggs, being careful not to break the yolk, into the pan. I don't think it's necessary to give a tutorial on how to cook eggs. If you're having trouble, call me and I'll coach you through it.
Before you top the sandwich with the eggs, spread just a think layer of mayo on top, then top THAT with the gouda. Gruyere is traditional from the croque madame (as it is a French dish), but I always like to blend cheeses. One just isn't enough. Return the sandwiches to the broiler for just a minute, until the top slice of cheese bubbles and starts to brown.
Transfer the sandwiches to plates, and top with the eggs.
I could actually DIE, it's so good! I warned you all last week that in no way was this a healthy eating blog. I rest my case with this recipe. It may seem like a lot of the things we make are indulgent, but that's just a couple dinners a week. Believe me, the rest of my meals lately have been fruit and salads, so I deserve these meals.
Besides, you can serve it up with a salad of greens and you'll feel a little bit better about indulging. And although technically a sandwich, you'll want to eat this one with a fork and knife.
I'll find any excuse to eat breakfast foods for any and every meal of the day. It's basically a ham, egg and cheese sandwich - just with better ingredients than your local diner. Enjoy!
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