How to make Anna Barnett's Croque Madame

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

Béchamel sauce

For the sandwich

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius.

Begin by making your béchamel sauce. First melt your butter then add in your flour and cook for 2-3 minutes over a medium to low heat. Begin to gradually add in your milk until it forms a thick, smooth paste. Continue this process until you’ve used up all the milk and you have a smooth sauce. Next season to taste, add in your nutmeg and set to one side ready to use.

For the sandwich start by melting two generous knobs of butter in a large frying pan. Add in your sage leaves and place your bread in the butter cooking until the bread turns a light golden brown. Remove the bread and sage leaves and set your pan to one side, ready to use to fry your egg.

With the fried side of the bread facing outwards, add your ham and cheese then pour over half of your béchamel sauce. Add the other slice of bread and finish with another layer of béchamel and a slice of gruyere. Place in the oven for 5-7 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Fry up your egg in both butter and a splash of oil (to stop it from burning). Place your frying pan over a high heat and cook until your egg has a delicious crispy bottom but a runny yolk. Serve the egg on top of your Croque-Monsieur to create your Croque-Madame. Finish by scattering over the crispy sage leaves.