The Croque Madame (ingredients, turkey, chicken, mustard)
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Ethan Chlebowski gives us the low-down on the classic French cafe' sandwich - the Croque Madame. I have to try to make this one day. I don't think it should be so hard, and there is a cafe' next to the office that serves these and they are really outstanding... but they are $14! Theirs is a purrrfect croissant with nice ham, gruyere cheese, egg over easy, and mornay sauce - and looks like this... you might say it's just a breakfast sandwich, but the details really elevate it.
A croissant (as shown in the photo) or any structurally strong bread like brioche is just plain wrong for something like this. About the only thing that would make it worse is using string cheese and spam. With a sunny side up egg, trying to cut the bread quickly turns the plate into a mess where all the flavors get blended together.
Notice how he trims the bread crust like one would for petit fours - exactly what you do to prevent such a disaster. In a cut-through there still is the distinct layering. Any "chew" is just in the ham. The bread is a carrier, separator, and place for liquids that happen to go.
Nit-picking, the tiny amount of lemon juice does nothing but add a little acid - which does nothing where he added it. Perhaps if he used a similar tiny amount of lemon zest in the garnish? The problem is trying to just hint at citrus from time to time against the competing stronger flavors. Easier to serve with a small glass of lightly salted grapefruit juice or orange juice. That clears the palate and palette for a re-paint of flavor.
His choices of cheese and mustard - Wow! Just plain brilliant. I've done the ham cheese egg & bread thing many times, and it is good, but this is levels above what I've ever done.
Croissants are not meant to be sandwiches. Good enough by themselves, with some coffee.
Maybe not but they make darned good sandwiches anyway. We use them with ham, fried egg and provolone cheese for breakfast. For lunch either turkey or chicken with lettuce, Swiss cheese and cranberry sauce.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by evening sun
Croissants are not meant to be sandwiches. Good enough by themselves, with some coffee.
I don't know, a local market used to sell chocolate filled croissants, pretty much a sandwich, and they were delicious, especially after a little time in the toaster oven. The kicker is that they were $ 00.50/each. They no longer have them.
Maybe not but they make darned good sandwiches anyway. We use them with ham, fried egg and provolone cheese for breakfast. For lunch either turkey or chicken with lettuce, Swiss cheese and cranberry sauce.
Yes, a well made croissant is simple, yet heavenly - a firm, crunchy shell and layers and layers and layers of tender, thin, buttery pastry inside. They can be great just with nice butter, but they also work well as a sandwich foundation. They're pricy, but they upgrade the sandwich for sure. About the only competition would be some really good artisanal bakery (or home-made) bread, in my opinion anyways.
This is the Croque Monsieur at the same cafe' - food porn! :-)
Last edited by OutdoorLover; 03-08-2024 at 02:54 PM..
Lovely, mouthwatering photos. It's an art to capture food like that.
I have an old Sixties recipe for warm crab salad croissants and melted cheese. Never ate a croque Madame as I never learned to appreciate runny eggs but have enjoyed many a croque Monsieur and its cousin, Monte Cristo.
I used to love Monte Cristos--haven't had one in decades. Weirdly, I've never been fond of many of the ingredients. Don't like Swiss cheese or mustard, not a huge fan of ham. Wonder why I liked them so much.
As I remember, I bought Croque Monsieur at just about any boulangerie (bakery) in France. It was always bread, not a croissant, kind of fried, with ham & cheese, like a grilled cheese sandwich, only tastier. They were really good, but not some kind of gourmet thing, just something to eat on the go. A Croque Madame had like a fried egg on it, or in it, so it was messier. It's French street food, like a crepe. They were cheap, or used to be.
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