Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Madame Cristo, I Presume

I was attempting to do a little twist on the venerable Croque Madame, by soaking the toast in a custard batter before frying, instead of topping it with the usual white sauce, but when I’d finished, I realized what I really had created was a Monte Cristo with a poached egg on top. These things will happen.

It was amazingly delicious, but I decided it wasn’t close enough to call a Croque Madame, which is when I turned to Twitter for help. This is never a good idea, but this time it totally worked out, as some dude who goes by the name, Zap Shakur (@zapshakur), suggested I go with “Madame Cristo,” and the rest is history.

If you’re just making one or two, feel free to poach your eggs right before the sandwiches are done, but for larger parties, you’ll want to check out this poached egg video, which shows a great make-ahead method for serving multiple poached eggs at the same time. This is exactly how it’s done in restaurants, where cooking to order would be virtually impossible.

If you are feeding a larger group, you can make your sandwiches ahead, and then just keep them in a warm oven, until you're ready to top with the poached eggs. But, whether you’re making this for two or twenty, I really do hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 2 Madame Cristos:
4 slices white bread, lightly toasted
8 thin slices of Gruyere, Swiss, Cheddar, Havarti, or any other melting cheese
4 ounces thinly sliced honey baked ham or similar meat product
2 tablespoons butter for pan frying
2 poached or fried eggs to top
chives to garnish

For the egg batter:
2 large eggs
5 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
pinch of nutmeg and cayenne
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

9 comments:

philogaia said...

Hey Chef John. This video had constant stops and starts both here and on Youtube. I assumed it was that I had yet again overloaded my Mac but other videos of much longer length are playing fine. Dunno if it is still me but you might check on things. BTW have enjoyed your recipes for years and recommend especially to newer cooks due to your easy instructions.

JakeIsOnTheInternet said...

Anyone else having issues with the sound where it appears to pause every second or so? It's not happening on any other videos.

Hope said...

Hi Chef John,

I am in the market for a really good set of stainless cookware. The kids are gone now and grandma is updating. The cost isn't an issue, I just want quality. Do you have any suggestions?

Also, I lived in Italy for a few years , in Vicenza between Venice and Verona. There were two dished there that I loved and have never found recipes to create them. One is quatro formaggi pizza. I do believe that the issue is choosing the right kind of cheese. Do you have any suggesting. The other recipe is for lasagna. The lasagna there seemed to have much less cheese, especially ricotta. It had a wonderful olive oil flavor to it and the sauce, much less 'herby'. There is such a big difference in the different areas there, much like here. I've made your lasagna many times and it is delicious, but not what I'm trying to find.

Thanks for any help you may be able to give me.

Cyndy

Beatrice Lawson said...

Cyndy, I make lasagna the "Italian" way based on a recipe from SmittenKitchen - no ricotta, just bolognese and béchamel and to me it tastes the right way. (I don't like the Americanized version with ricotta either). If you are looking for olive oil flavour use the best cold pressed extra virgin olive oil for the bolognese - I think that would give you the flavour you are looking for. (BTW, the SK recipe includes home made pasta but I never had the energy / time to do it. I use instead fresh pasta sheets from our local Italian deli - not the dry stuff that comes in boxes, and it makes a huge difference.) Good luck - it's labor intensive but five star worthy...

Our recipe for 4 formaggio is fontina, buffalo mozzarella, gorgonzola and freshly grated parmesan. Sometimes I add a drizzle of Italian honey on top. It's to die for, IMHO.

Hope said...

Beatrice, thank you so much! That lasagna sounds so much closer to what I remember. I am going to try it tomorrow. I've made Pasta al Forno, which an Italian neighbor taught me and that uses a bechamel sauce but it never occurred to me that it might be bechamel instead of ricotta with the ragu sauce. Lol, my Italian neighbors all laughed when they saw jars of 'Ragu' sauce, since they call red sauce 'ragu'. They also chuckled at garlic bread, which they thought was a ruin of good bread. You could always tell what restaurants had a lot of America customers since when they brought the bread they brought butter to go with it.

I haven't tried that combination of cheese for the pizza but I will very soon. I really appreciate your reply to me, thanks again.

Unknown said...

Greetings Chef John from Tasmania.
I did not have a problem with the video, it played well for me!
I have been a fan of yours for years and enjoyed making your recipes.
This "Madame Croque" is certainly a winner. By accident or default; it's here! It is certainly easier that the traditional "Croque Madame". I can't wait to make this for breakfast tomorrow.
"Madame Croque" will be on my menu as a staple dish from here-on-end.
Regards
Giles Hall

Unknown said...

I made this. It was delicious. Used over easy eggs. Thanks!

Unknown said...

I suggest keeping the egg batter savory, and using sliced French brioche or challah bread.

Unknown said...

I made it for breakfast and it delicious!