Croque Mademoiselle and Cafe

My style of cooking is to follow a general concept but improvise on the details.  This often leads to either a pleasant or an unpleasant surprise.

As I was willing myself out of bed this morning, I decided a day of study required a breakfast fit for a champion. I did a quick mental inventory of ingredients at hand and decided I could pull of some variation of a croque madame.

These are the basic ingredients for a Croque Madame (borrowed from Rachel Ray)

• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 rounded tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• Salt and pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg, eyeball it
• 2 teaspoons Dijon style mustard
• 2 slices white bread
• 2 large eggs
• 4 slices deli ham
• 4 slices deli Swiss cheese
• Chopped parsley leaves, chives or thyme leaves, for garnish - choose from any or all on hand

These are my ingredients for a Croque Mademoiselle (i.e. what I had at hand): 

• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 cup milk
• Salt and pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg, eyeball it
• 2 teaspoons Dijon style mustard
• 2 slices white bread
• 2 large eggs
• smoked mixed shredded cheese 
• italian seasoning  

I started off by making the sauce. Disclaimer: I was without flour so my sauce was not the proper consistency. I decided that was okay by me and melted the butter, added the milk (continuously stirring it), added salt, pepper, and mustard. I added the cheese last so it wouldn't get too clumpy.  When the cheese was mostly melted in I put the sauce dish aside on a warming center.  

Meanwhile, I had turned on the Broiler and I lightly buttered two slices of bread (both sides). Place the bread in the broiler and let toast on both sides (just a few minutes on each side).  When toasted, cover both slices with the sauce you set aside.  (I dosed the slices as if I were making french toast.. I do not think i'll do this next time, it made the whole thing a little too rich and a bit soggy.. a lighter layer next time will do the trick).  

Meanwhile heat a medium sized frying pan, melt a little butter and have two eggs ready.  Place the bread back in the oven (at this point I had gone ahead and turned off the broiler- oven was still plenty warm), and crack both eggs onto the pan.  

Try to keep both eggs separate (this did not work well for me since I have a wonky unaligned frying pan, apparently). Once they look sunny-side-up-ready, place on top of the bread and serve! Top with a a bit of Italian seasoning, or fresh herbs if you have!

*A traditional Croque Madame uses ham.. I do not eat ham so turned it into my own little "Croque Madamoiselle"  .. 

While preparing breakfast I decided a fresh cup of coffee was a must.  I have recently made the switch from instant to fresh. To have your own delicious fresh cup of coffee you're going to need a coffee bean grinder, a french press, and of course some delicious fresh coffee beans! I have the Extra Dark French from Whole Foods.

First boil your water.  While the water is heating up, fill your french press with warm water (this keeps the coffee hotter for longer.  If you are going to put it in a travel mug then it is a good idea to also heat your mug with warm water beforehand).  Measure out your coffee beans (2 tbs per 6oz of water) and roughly grind the beans.  you do not want them too fine or they will be a pain to clean out later. In the french press, replace the warm water with the roughly grinded beans.  When the water has come to a boil, pour measured amount into the fresh press.  Let sit for a minute or two.  Stir and place lid on french press.  Allow a few more minutes of brewing before slowly lowering the plunger.  Ta Da! Delicious fresh cup of coffee! 

   

Find Rachel Ray's full Croque Madame recipe at  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/croque-madame-recipe/index.html)