Croque Madame

Ingredients

• 4 thick slices bread
• 4 slices ham (optional)
• 1½ cups grated gruyère
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup milk, warm
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 eggs
• Pinch of nutmeg

Method

1. Make the béchamel: melt the butter in a small pot, whisk in the flour, and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the warm milk gradually until smooth and thick, 3–4 minutes. Season with the dijon, nutmeg, salt, and a third of the cheese.
2. Heat the broiler. Lightly toast the bread, then build: béchamel on every slice, ham and a handful of cheese on two of them, close the sandwiches.
3. Spread the tops with more béchamel and the remaining cheese — yes, sauce on the OUTSIDE. That's what makes it a croque.
4. Broil 3–5 minutes until bronzed, bubbling, and spotted brown in places. Watch it — broilers hold grudges.
5. Meanwhile fry the eggs in butter, sunny side up, until the whites are set and the edges lace. Crown each sandwich with an egg (that's the 'madame') and eat with a knife, fork, and gratitude.