French

This delicious brunch for my family truly made their day, filling what would have otherwise been another mundane morning with delight. This dish brought back many fond memories from our trip in Paris, memories which we hold dear to our hearts. Using Gardenia’s multigrain country loaf, a sourdough bread that incorporates 8 types of grains, this bread is loaded with nutrition that goes very well with savoury filling. Perfect for a Saturday brunch. Croque Madame are grilled sandwiches filled with ham and cheese, a spread of béchamel sauce and a thin layer of mustard, topped with egg. Fun fact, without the egg, the dish would be called Croque Monsieur instead! This recipe yields 4 sandwiches.

Ingredients (béchamel sauce)

5g grated parmesan
25g grated cheddar
10g all purpose flour
10g butter
112g milk

Other

8 slices gardenia multigrain bread
4 slices baked ham
4 slices prosciutto
grated cheese
mustard
4 sunny side up

Method (Bechamel)

Heat up the sauce pan at medium heat and melt the butter
Add in the flour and whisk to make a roux (Do not let it turn brown)
Add in the milk while continuing to whisk until no lumps appear and the sauce starts to thicken
Turn heat to low and add the cheese. Whisk until all the cheese has melted. Set aside

Assembly

Spread the butter on one side of the bread on a heated medium fire. Toast the bread butter side down until slightly brown. You only need to toast one side.
Put it on a lined baking tray. Toasted side down.
Spread a thin layer of mustard, then the béchamel sauce on the bread
Layer it with ham and prosciutto
Top it with grated cheese.
Put another slice of bread on top, toasted side up.
Spread some béchamel sauce again, followed by more grated cheese
Grill for 8-10 minutes until the cheese has melted and you can see golden brown spots. Note : if your oven doesn’t have a grill function, just bake it in a preheated oven at 180 degree celsius, top heat at 8-10 minutes.
Top with sunny side up
Serve immediately