Croque Madame with Butter Lettuce and Chive Salad

Taste

A Croque Madame is the dish that turns a ham-and-cheese sandwich into a proper lunch — toasted country bread, smoked ham, a quick Mornay sauce made with grated Emmental and Parmesan, more cheese melted on top under the broiler, and a runny fried egg landed on at the last second so the yolk becomes the sauce. The salad is the counterweight: tender Finley butterhead from Lufa Ahuntsic, lots of fresh chives, and a sharp Dijon-lemon vinaigrette. The Lufa pantry does most of the work here — Arhoma country loaf, duBreton Black Forest ham, St-Guillaume Emmental, Nutri-Oeuf eggs, Maison Orphée Dijon, and Ahuntsic chives.

Instructions

1. Make the Mornay sauce. Melt 30 g of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Add the flour and whisk constantly for about 1 minute — the mixture should look like wet sand and smell faintly nutty, not raw. Pour in the warmed milk in a slow stream, whisking the whole time to keep it smooth. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, whisking often, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon thickly enough that a finger drawn across leaves a clean line. Off the heat, whisk in 60 g of the Emmental, the Parmesan, 2 teaspoons of Dijon, a small pinch of nutmeg, and a generous pinch of salt and several grinds of pepper. Taste — it should be assertively cheesy and lightly mustardy. Press a piece of parchment directly onto the surface to keep it from skinning over. ⏱︎ 1 min
2. Toast the bread. Heat the broiler to high with a rack about 15 cm below the element. Arrange the 8 slices of country bread on a parchment-lined sheet pan and toast under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes per side, just until the surface is dry and lightly golden. Watch closely — broilers go from “almost ready” to “burned” in seconds. ⏱︎ 2 min
3. Build the croques. Spread a thin layer of Mornay (about 1 tablespoon) on 4 of the toasted slices. Lay 2 folded slices of ham on each, then a generous spoonful more of Mornay. Top with the remaining 4 bread slices. Pile the rest of the Mornay over the tops and scatter the reserved 140 g of grated Emmental evenly across, letting some fall to the edges of the pan — those crispy lacy bits are the best part. Return to the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes, rotating once, until the cheese is bubbling, browned in spots, and the edges are crisp. ⏱︎ 5 min
4. Whisk the salad dressing and fry the eggs. While the croques are under the broiler, whisk 1 teaspoon of Dijon with the lemon juice and a pinch of salt in a large salad bowl, then whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Add the lettuce leaves and chives, but don’t toss yet. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Crack in the eggs, season the whites with salt, cover, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the whites are just set and the yolks still runny. ⏱︎ 3 min
5. Serve. Toss the salad gently with your hands. Slide a croque onto each plate, land an egg on top of each, season the egg with flaky salt and pepper, and pile the dressed salad alongside. Eat immediately — the whole point is the moment when you break the yolk and it runs into the cheese.

Tips

• Make ahead: The Mornay sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept covered in the fridge; warm it gently over low heat with a splash of milk, whisking, until pourable. Don’t assemble the croques until you’re ready to broil — the bread softens fast.
• Substitution: Gruyère is the traditional cheese, but Quebec Emmental melts beautifully and is easier to find on Lufa; any firm Alpine-style cheese works. Sourdough Loaf from Hof Kelsten makes an excellent stand-in for the country loaf.
• Cheese tip: Grate the cheese yourself from a block — the anti-caking agents in pre-shredded cheese keep it from melting into the silky Mornay you want.
• For a Croque Monsieur: Simply skip the fried egg. Same sandwich, same sauce, served with the same salad.
• Lighter version: Use a single open-faced slice of bread per person and treat it like a tartine. You’ll cut the richness by about half and still get the full flavour.