Un Croque Madame

Le Croque Madame

So, I looked it up, and a croque madame is just a croque monsieur with a fried egg on top. I think I jumped the gun a little on tackling this, because while a ham and cheese sandwich sounds simple, a few problematic things started to add up. First of all, I don't have a panini press, so I ended up pressing the sandwich down on the griddle with my spatula - not the same result at all. Also, I had never made beschamel before, so I had no idea if I was doing it right. Then one of the pieces of bread charred to a crisp, like, immediately. I had to peel it off and cook that half again. When I finally finished, it was about ten o'clock at night, and I wasn't hungry anymore.

The Verdict:

1) Before I try it again, I need the proper tools.

2) I'll skip the Dijon next time and go for the honey mustard. I know it's not as French, but, hey, what is America about other than taking other people's cultures and bastardizing them for our own purposes?

3) The recipe called for batard, but I didn't even know what that was. I googled it, but I had no idea where to find fancy bread like that. I ended up using Sara Lee whole grain white. Again, not the same result.

Next time I make it I think it'll be a lot better now that I've worked out the kinks.

Tomorrow: Penne with Beef Ragou!

P.S. Here are my Paula pots!

That woman is a goddess.