Funday First

 Charlie and I met just over 2 years ago in the Cheese shop I work at here in Santa Barbara. Once we realized our affinity for all things tasty was mutual,  the Fundays began. The birth of this blog came from a recent Funday in Santa Barbara, of which the following recipe was made and photo taken on my phone as the premiere documentation. Therefore, I felt it appropriate to share this as our Funday first…

While our coffee beans and chicory were cold brewing on one counter, and the perfect little Persian cucumbers were swimming in a pool of salt, garlic, and chilies on another…we got a little hungry. After a quick trip to the cheese shop and bakery, we were in the ultimate French cheese & ham sandwich heaven.

Croque-Madame, is her name.

Croque -Madame

7 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

1 ½ cups milk

Pinch of nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground pepper

8 ounces comte cheese, 6 oz thinly sliced, 2 oz grated

¼ lb thinly sliced ham, preferably jamon de paris

2 tablespoons whole grain mustard

8 slices soft, French white sandwich bread, cut 3/4” thick

4 large eggs

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over moderately low heat. Stir in flour and cook the roux for approximately 2 minutes. Add milk slowly, whisking constantly, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 more minutes, whisking occasionally. Add salt, and pepper to taste, nutmeg, and 2 oz of grated comte, and whisk until melted. Turn off heat and place a sheet of wax paper directly on the surface of the béchamel to keep warm.

Lay 4 slices of bread on a work surface and spread on a thin layer of mustard. Divide ham and sliced comte among them, spread 1 tablespoon of béchamel evenly and top with the remaining bread. Invert sandwich and spread half of the remaining butter evenly on the top and transfer, buttered sides down, to an ovenproof 12 inch skillet. Spread remaining butter on the other side of the sandwiches. Cook over low heat, turning only once, until both sides are golden, 6 to 8 minutes total.

Preheat broiler. Leaving sandwiches in skillet spread the tops of the sandwiches evenly with the remaining béchamel sauce. Broil 5 to 6 inches from the heat until the sauce is bubbling and golden in patches, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, fry eggs in a small amount of butter in your preferred sunny-side up style. Transfer sandwiches to a plate and top with fried eggs. Enjoy!