Broiled Croque Madame

Method

1. 1

   Ahead: the crème brûlée base. 1. In a medium saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. 2. Meanwhile, slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Place the pod and seeds in the cream. 3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and ½ cup sugar. 4. Once the cream has come up to a boil, slowly stream it into the egg and sugar mixture by adding a little bit at a time and whisking until all the cream mixture is incorporated. 5. Strain out the vanilla bean and any eggy bits. 6. Store, covered in your refrigerator.

2. 2

   Make the croque madame. Preheat your oven to 425F. Grate the cheese. Mince the garlic. In a small saucepan, add the milk, Dijon, nutmeg, bay leaf, pepper and ½ onion. Bring to a simmer to infuse the flavor.

3. 3

   In a separate medium saucepan on medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Saute the garlic in the butter until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 3-5 minutes. Strain the milk mixture. Slowly stream the milk mixture into the roux and stir until incorporated.

4. 4

   Cook on medium heat until thickened, then add ¼ of the grated cheese. Season with truffle salt. Butter one side of each slice of bread, saving the remaining butter for frying the eggs. On the unbuttered side, spread a thick layer of mornay sauce. Top with ham, more cheese, and the second slice of bread.

5. 5

   In a large saute pan or on a griddle over medium-high heat, grill one side of the sandwich until golden brown. Flip the sandwich and top with more mornay sauce. Transfer to the oven and bake until the tops are nice and crispy, about 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat the pan with butter. Crack your eggs into the skillet and top with truffle salt or flaky sea salt.

6. 6

   Cover with a plate or lid and let the eggs cook until the whites are set, about 2-4 minutes. Once the sandwiches are GBD (Golden Brown & Delicious), remove from the oven and top with the sunny side up eggs. Plate up and dig in!!

7. 7

   For Dessert. Turn your oven to 300F. Fill your ramekins half way up with the Crème Brûlée base. Place in a small baking dish filled halfway with water. Bake until the custard is set, 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool (you can cool for a few hours for the classic custard, or just a few minutes and serve it while still warm).

8. 8

   Top with sugar and brûlée the sugar with a torch. Alternatively, brûlée by placing under the broiler until the sugar is nice and golden brown (Keep an eye on it! This takes just a few minutes).