Croque Madame on Croissant

From the kitchen of Emeril Lagasse

Servings:4

Difficulty: Easy

Cook Time: 30-60 min

This sandwich is the perfect candidate for breakfast champion. A buttery crisp croissant loaded with black forest ham and cheese, topped with a parmesan b??chamel and a fried egg. Whoa! This will get your day started right.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
?? teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
4 croissants
8 ounces thinly sliced black forest ham
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh chive leaves
4 fried eggs

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/recipe/emerils-croque-madame-croissant-15961307

Cooking Directions

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When melted, add the flour and stir for 1 ?? to 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk, increase the heat to medium high and bring to a simmer. Add salt, nutmeg, cayenne and Parmesan and whisk to combine. Cook for 3 minutes, whisking constantly until the sauce thickens. Remove the b??chamel sauce from the heat and set aside until ready to use.

Position an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the broiler.

Slice the croissants in half and place the bottom half of the croissant on a baking sheet. Place 2 slices of ham on the croissant, place ?? cup of the Gruyere on top of the ham. Broil the sandwiches for 1 to 2 minutes, or just until the cheese has melted. Top with remaining half of the croissant, ladle 2 tablespoons of the b??chamel on top of each sandwich, sprinkle each sandwich with ?? teaspoon thyme and ?? teaspoon chives, and place a fried egg on top of the b??chamel. Equally divide the remaining cheese between the four sandwiches. Broil the sandwiches for 2 to 3 minutes or until the cheese has melted and turned a light golden brown.