Croque-Madame

To PIOTROWSKI, this recipe is for a croque madame, a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with the specified sauce and with a fried egg on top. I have seen this (and eaten it myself) several times in in Paris. The croque monsieur is the same thing without the egg. So, yes, it is a little more than "just" grilled ham and cheese or grilled cheese, and you do find it in Paris, so I would not expect any travelers hoping for a Parisian croque madame as described in this recipe to be disappointed. And I've never heard of anyone traveling to France in expectation of superior "French" toast or "French" fries. That being said, this is the most accurate croque madame recipe I've tried, because it gets the sauce right.

While this recipe looks delicious, I would hate to disappoint anyone traveling in Europe, but if you order a Croque Monsieur, you can expect to get a simple grilled ham and cheese sandwich - and a Croque Madame is just grilled cheese . . After 4 years in France and Belgium I never encountered anything made with bread dipped in egg - I believe "french toast" is an entirely American creation, especially when it is served sweet, with sugar and or cinnamon! By the same token, the Belgians take the prize for the best "frites" or fries, compared to the French!

Very good but rich and heavy. I personally wouldn't make anything else with it as I could barely finish this alone. Very easy to make but wouldn't make all the time. More like a special occasion type of dish.

Made this for my husband and I but substituted deli ham for the high-quality ham, shredded Mexican cheese blend for the gruyere, and 3/4 cup skim milk mixed with 1/4 cup water for the whole/2% milk. Even with the substitutions, it was still delicious, and I was able to make it on a whim using ingredients we already had on hand. We served with baked beans but again, that was just what was in the fridge :) Next time, I would actually add more mustard - if you like mustard, be generous with it ont his sandwich.