French Onion Croque Madame Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler.
• Make the bechamel sauce: In a small saucepan, melt 1 ounce butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until you smell the flour and butter cooking, 2 to 3 minutes. Do not allow it to brown. Add the milk and bay leaf and cook, stirring from time to time, until the mixture thickens like a soup, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and stir in the Parmesan. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
• Arrange 4 slices of the bread on a flat surface. Top each with 2 to 3 slices of ham. Mix together half of the Gruyere cheese and the bechamel sauce. Taste for seasoning. Spread a little of the sauce on top of the ham and top each with another slice of bread.
• Heat a large cast iron skillet and, when hot, add half of the remaining butter. Add 2 of the sandwiches and brown on one side, 2 minutes. Turn on the other side and brown 2 more minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining butter and sandwiches. Spread the remaining bechamel on top of the sandwiches and top with the other half of the Gruyere cheese.
• Wipe any crumbs from the cast iron skillet and spray with nonstick spray. Crack 4 eggs into the skillet, leaving a little room between each. (Alternatively, fry 2 at a time). While the eggs are frying, place the sandwiches under the broiler and broil until the top becomes golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Season the eggs with salt and top each sandwich with a fried egg. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• For the onions: Heat a skillet over medium-low heat and add the butter. Heat until the butter starts to foam, then add the onions and season with salt and pepper. Add thyme and bay leaf, and cook to caramelize the onions, about 30 minutes.
• Deglaze the onions with the sherry and then add the stock. Reduce until just a few spoonfuls of stock remain, then keep warm.
• For the sauce: In saucepot, warm the milk. In another pan, melt the butter over medium to medium-high heat and whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the warm milk, bring to a bubble, and then season with salt, pepper and some nutmeg. Cook to thicken the sauce until it coats the back of a spoon, then remove from the heat and stir in the mustard.
• For the salad: In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard and honey, and then drizzle in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add the endive, frisee and radicchio and toss to coat.
• For the sandwiches: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Arrange the bread on a baking sheet and top each with some caramelized onions, 2 slices ham, some bechamel and cheese. Bake the sandwiches until brown and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan set over medium heat, add some butter and cook the eggs sunny-side up or over easy. Top the sandwiches with an egg and serve with some salad.

Steps:

• Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and stir until slightly brown, about 3 minutes. Whisk in milk; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Once boiling, reduce heat immediately and simmer for 5 minutes. Add 1/2 of the Gruyere cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg; heat until cheese is melted, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Spread about 1 teaspoon butter on 2 pieces of bread. Spread 1 tablespoon cheese sauce on top and layer each with a ham slice. Spread 1 teaspoon butter on the remaining 2 pieces of bread, then spread Dijon mustard on top and sprinkle with remaining Gruyere. Transfer all 4 pieces to a baking sheet.
• Broil in the preheated oven until cheese is almost melted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the oven, place toast slices together to make 2 sandwiches and pour remaining cheese sauce on top of each sandwich. Return to the broiler until sauce starts to brown, about 2 minutes.
• While the sandwiches are broiling, heat remaining butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Crack 2 eggs into the skillet, keeping them completely separate from one another. Season with salt and pepper. Add water, cover, and baste until whites are set but yolks are still runny, about 2 minutes.
• Top each sandwich with an egg and sprinkle with dill. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Place a small sauce pot over medium low heat and melt 2 tablespoons butter in it. Whisk in a rounded tablespoon of flour and cook 1 minute or so. Whisk in milk and bring to a bubble then drop heat to low. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, nutmeg and Dijon. When sauce coats back of a spoon, turn off heat.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in each of 2 medium nonstick skillets, both over medium low heat. When butter melts add 2 large eggs to the first skillet, keeping the whites separate from each other. To the second skillet add 2 slices bread and toast lightly on first side then turn the bread. Top turned bread liberally with sauce and 2 slices of the ham and the Swiss cheese on each slice of bread. Use a spatula to transfer the eggs to the tops of the open faced sandwiches. Cover the pan with foil and turn off heat. Let pan stand 5 minutes to melt cheese and set sauce and eggs.
• Top sandwiches with chopped herb or herbs of choice and serve. Spoon any leftover sauce over top of the eggs before garnishing.