Breakfast on a miserable, wet, depressing Friday morning: Puff Pastry Croque Madame! What is a Croque Madame? Well, a Croque Monsieur (literal translation from French: Mr. Crunchy) is a fancy grilled cheese sandwich. A Croque Madame (Mrs. Crunchy!) is a grilled cheese sandwich with a fried egg on top — so a double fancy grilled cheese. I decided to make these open-faced and with store bought puff pastry. And OMG are they good. Light, fluffy, flavorful, pretty in a messy kind of way. And this recipe feeds a crowd (makes 8 and one is really filling; note that the recipes can be halved). It might take a little longer than a grilled cheese, but definitely much much better. Not only breakfast food, this could be lunch with a light salad or part of a brunch spread.
Ingredients
for the Mornay Sauce
3 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1 1/2 cups whole milk, warm but not hot, divided
1 ounces grated Gruyère cheese
1 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
for the Croque Madame
2 sheets Puff Pastry, thawed to room temperature
1 whole Egg, whisked in a small bowl with a teaspoon of water for egg wash
6 ounces Gruyere Cheese, shredded
8 slices Black Forest Ham
8 whole Eggs
Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper, for seasoning
Chives, chopped for garnish
Directions
First, make the Morney Sauce. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour to form a roux. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until most of the water has cooked out, which also allows the raw flour taste to cook off. add in the onion powder and nutmeg. Slowly add 1 of the warm milk while whisking or stirring constantly so that the liquid is incorporated into the roux without forming lumps. Add the Gruyère and Parmesan cheeses and stir until the cheese has melted. Remove from heat, stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, and adjust the consistency with some or all of the remaining 1/2 cup milk if necessary. Let cool a bit while you start the puff pastry.
Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper.
Roll out each puff pastry sheet into an equal 10 x 10-inch square, cut each sheet into 4 equal 5-inch squares. Lay each square evenly spaced apart on the prepared baking sheets. Poke holes in the center of the puff pastry with a fork, brush with egg wash and season with kosher salt. Leaving a half-inch border, spread on a few tablespoons of mornay sauce. Lay ham on top. Sprinkle the cheese evenly in a circle on the ham and leave a space in the center to crack the egg into. Place in the oven and bake for 10 – 15 minutes until the edges begin to puff.
Remove from the oven, use the back of a spoon to press a slight divot into the center of the puff pastry and crack the eggs into each well. Season egg with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10 – 15 minutes until egg whites are set and puff pastry is golden. Remove and garnish with chives, serve immediately.
