Recently two of my favorite bloggers posted their versions of this classic sandwich... Theirs was beautiful.
Chris at NIBBLE ME THIS was first, and just recently Tamy from 3 SIDES OF CRAZY showed her version.
Mine is just a sandwich, the bastard step child to the complicated and rich French cheese sauced heaven on bread that Chris showed... But it was pretty good...
The base for my "Cheater Croque Madame" is two slices of my ENG BREAD that I posted yesterday. Eng bread is a sweet French Bread. I just toasted each side in a little EVOO (extra virgin olive oil).
Chris posted the "real" recipe for a rich cheesy Mornay Sauce. I just sliced a little specialty jalapeño cheddar cheese. Chris used ham (the traditional correct meat for Madame). I cut up a little of my weekly rotisserie chicken (are you getting tired of hearing about this $6 budget saver).
And sadly, the next step is where I screwed up, and really crossed the line between an "inspired by" and just a salvage job. A true Croque Madame is topped with an egg. The egg should have a runny yolk. I prefer mine over easy, but I failed. When I flipped, I saw that most hideous site... The yolk start to run out the bottom. Yea. I broke my yolk.
So, my planned layer of Eng Bread, topped with chicken, topped with a melted cheese, topped with another layer of Eng Bread, topped with a beautiful 2 yolk over easy egg, topped with a bit more melted cheese, topped with a bit of freshly grated Parmesan cheese... became a frustration.
So, instead of the beautiful presentation I had planned and could be proud of...
I ended up with a tasty sandwich.
It's no Croque Madame, but it is another use for that rotisserie chicken! And look at that bread...
I want to have this yummy sandwich for my breadfast!
ReplyDeleteCroque Madame or not, it looks Madame delicious. I couldn't resist the pun.
ReplyDeleteooooooh that looks so much better than the granola and yogurt I just ate.
ReplyDeleteYer killin me Dave.... My God that looks so good! Don't underestimate your BAD self, you nailed that sandwich for sure.
ReplyDeleteBut I bet it tasted great amd it looks awesome!
ReplyDeleteI loved the directions for cooking the egg I found (no flipping necessary) and it turned out perfect with a runny yolk.
You had me at "bastard step child", but you were wrong. Your sandwich looks amazing and could easily bare the family name. I really want a taste of that sandwich, but just don't have the energy or the talent to make it today. I wish we were neighbors and I could just have a sample. Yum!
ReplyDeleteLooks great and sounds even better using the chicken in place of the ham.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it looks pretty good to me... most especially the bread. MG and I have been having a recent love affair with the Croque Madame. There's a place in Hollywood that serves up great ones. I'm gonna make one of my own soon as well. I will check out Nibble Me This. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteLove the looks of that bread and I'm going to make it soon! And your sandwich looks great, cher!
ReplyDeleteI spend the better part of my life trying to rescue yolks that I have broken. To no avail.
ReplyDeleteThat bread does look awesome. I am beaming for you.
No Dave, this is a good sandwich! My mouth is watering! YUMMY!
ReplyDeleteCheers to that damn good mistake!
Funny thing is, I normally like my eggs with a solid-ish yolk except for the Croque Madame or when I top some pulled pork with an egg for breakfast.
ReplyDeleteI still think this is an awesome sandwich and I'd love the pepper cheese, it's a favorite of mine.