A Croque Madame is a variation of a traditional French sandwich known as a Croque Monsieur. The original sandwich consists of ham and cheese grilled on a saut pan with butter inside two pieces of bread; a Croque Madame adds a poached or fried egg. The exact origins of this sandwich are unclear: The original Croque Monsieur had originated by at least 1910, and the Croque Madame variation appeared by 1960.
Ingredients
The four main ingredients of a Croque Madame are sliced ham, cheese, egg and bread. Individual recipes and styles of preparation vary the types of each element. Cheese selections can include gruyere, emmental or Swiss. So long as a cook slices the ham thin, it can be of any variety. Traditional preparations of the Croque Madame call for sourdough bread, but any bread will suffice. Some recipes call for the addition of condiments, such as b chamel sauce or Dijon mustard; most preparations include the former ingredient on a Croque Monsieur. Additional seasonings may include garlic, crushed tomatoes and black pepper.
Preparation
The first step in preparing a Croque Madame is slathering one side of both pieces of bread with butter. After placing the buttered side of one piece face-down on a saut pan or cooking sheet--chefs can also bake a Croque Madame--the recipe calls for adding a layer of thinly sliced ham and coating the ham with shaved cheese. Cooks can configure the sandwich to a specific taste at this point by coating the non-buttered side of the other piece of bread with b chamel sauce or mustard. After adding the other piece of bread, a cook will grill the sandwich on both sides or bake it in the oven until the cheese melts. The cook then adds more cheese to the top of the sandwich and bakes it to melt that layer. Adding a poached egg to the top of the sandwich makes it a Croque Madame.
Nutritional Information
Nutritional information can vary depending on how a cook has prepared this sandwich. A straightforward recipe that only includes bread, cheese, ham, butter and an egg will have about 370 calories. Almost half of these calories come from the fat in the ham, egg and cheese. Because of the ham, egg and cheese, this sandwich includes a hefty amount of protein; about 21 grams in a 370 calorie sandwich. The bread contains carbohydrates and adds a minimal amount of fiber. B chamel sauce consists of butter, cream and milk with some flour added for texture and consistency. Adding this sauce increases the fat content of a Croque Madame.
Variations and Substitutions
Some recipes call for low-fat cheese and unsalted or lightly salted ham and butter. Cooks can swap out the butter for olive oil. In addition to adding seasonings and vegetable accompaniments to flavor the Croque Madame, chefs have continued to experiment with this sandwich and the Croque Monsieur. Croque Madame recipes in England delete the egg altogether and include sliced chicken, while the American variant keeps the egg and adds the chicken inside the sandwich.
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