Croque Eloise
 
 
When ham, cheese, eggs, and a creamy white sauce are the key ingredients, there is no way to completely lighten a dish like Croque Madame, but we have scaled back a bit, substituting broth for some of the milk, reducing the cheese quantity, and making this sandwich open face. If you only want to make it for two, save the remaining sauce for another time (which makes it super easy to make the sandwiches again) and use a medium skillet to fry the eggs and grill the sandwiches.
by:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup each: whole milk and chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 4 slices ham
  • 4 large eggs
  • Salt and pepper
  • 4 slices sturdy loaf bread, white or wheat
  • 1 ounce grated Gruyere cheese
Instructions
  1. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a small saucepan. When it starts to sizzle, whisk in flour, then milk and broth. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook to thin sauce consistency, a couple of minutes longer. Whisk in cheese and mustard; turn off heat and set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, heat another tablespoon of butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add ham and cook until golden brown, a couple of minutes; set aside on a plate. Crack eggs into empty skillet, seasoning lightly with salt and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of water, cover and cook eggs to desired doneness, a couple of minutes for sunny-side up. Remove eggs to plate with ham. Pour off residual water and return skillet to low heat. Add remaining tablespoon of butter and add bread; grill until golden brown, a couple of minutes. Turn bread over and spread each piece with a portion of sauce, top with ham, then egg, and a portion of cheese. Cover and cook until bread bottoms are golden brown and cheese has melted, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Serve immediately
Recipe by Three Many Cooks at https://threemanycooks.com/conversations/croque-eloise/