Wham! Croque Madam!

You likely know by now how much Felix and I love pop music, everything from Queen to Lady GaGa, David Bowie to Tears for Fears and Billie Eilish to Post Malone, so it should come as no surprise that most of our cooking happens with a soundtrack playing.

This Croque Madam is no different. We both have much love for George Michael and had such fun dancing to Wham as kids, so when ‘Wake Me UP Before You Go Go’ popped on while Felix passed along to me this humble ham and egg sandwich, I couldn’t help but give a nod to one of our favorite singers of all time. We miss you George, but the music lives on! And this simple sandwich lives on, too, because while it is but bread, egg, ham and cheese, it stands tall and mighty among the best sandwiches ever made.

At its most basic, a croque madam is a toasted ham and cheese sandwich, with a bit of extra goodness added on top. You can simply toast Swiss or Gruyere over the sandwich and add an egg, however we went all out and made a cheesy bechamel (white sauce), which then gets broiled over it all before adding an over-easy fried egg. This truly is a wake-me-up kind of sandwich and will certainly get you dancing when you take a bite and “hit that HIGH!!!”

The bechamel is awesome for other tasty uses, so our recipe makes a bit extra for later – try it broiled over some roasted potatoes, or simply stir in some pasta and enjoy it with some good bread. We suggest a high-quality artisan bread for this recipe. The rest of it falls perfectly into place.