This Croque Madame made with crispy bacon, mustardy cheddar béchamel and a drizzle of harissa is the perfect weekend morning breakfast following one of those weeks where you just need an indulgent slathered-in-butter Saturday. I assume it may work well for a hangover breakfast as well?
Mine started with a husband who had “slept in” until 6am (he’s usually up at 4:30 regardless of weekday or weekend – and we don’t even have kids). I had been up in the early hours of the morning nebulising our fur baby Hugo who had flu and was so congested the neighbours could hear his rattling breathing. And so, I had properly sleep in until 8am. As a result of this two-hour wakening difference, when I woke up said husband was already very hungry, and had declared that he would be making bacon Croque Madams for breakfast. Unfortunately, he was also coming down with a case of man-flu himself, and so I took on the task of breakfast instead.
I opened the fridge and grabbed what I thought would work well – bacon, cheddar, mustard, mayo, harissa – why not? – and of course butter. Hubby had already been to our favourite deli spot to get the best local sourdough around (thank you Linden Loaves).
Needless to say, we are slightly straying away from a traditional Croque Madam here.
- Bacon instead of ham. Because bacon.
- Mayo – because it makes the most decadent pan fried toastie.
- Cheddar cheese – whilst gruyere is traditionally used for the Croque Madam, 1) We didn’t have gruyere and 2) I thought the sharpness of cheddar would work well against the strong flavours of bacon and harissa.
And speaking of harissa – well the jar was staring at me temptingly in the fridge and I had a sudden vision of bright red harissa paste drizzled over a blank canvas of creamy béchamel and thought I would have to try that. The harissa we had in the fridge was a lovely rose harissa with a smoky spiciness to it and a bright rosy oil that drizzled beautifully (You can find it here).
Served with a crispy fried egg, this was what Saturday morning dreams are made of – yes, not the healthiest, but I believe in “everything in moderation” and sometimes a little decadence is just needed. In fact, the flavour combo here may have inspired a new mac and cheese recipe (watch this space).
Bacon and Harissa Croque Madam
Ingredients
Cheesy Mustard Browned Butter Béchamel
- 30 g butter I prefer to use salted butter here
- 30 g flour plain flour or cake flour
- 300 ml milk
- 3 tsp Dijon mustard
- ⅔ cup mature cheddar, grated 1 cup in total, see below
- ¼ tsp paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
Bacon Croque Madams
- 6 rashers bacon
- 4 slices sourdough bread 1 ½ to 2cm thick slices
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise (approximately)
- ⅓ cup mature cheddar, grated
- 2 tbsp harissa (approximately)
- 2 eggs large
Instructions
Cheesy Mustard Browned Butter Béchamel
- Melt butter in small saucepan/ pot until just lightly browning.30 g butter
- Add flour and whisk over medium heat for several minutes until bubbling and paste-like. Take off the heat whilst warming the milk.30 g flour
- Heat milk gently in the microwave in 30 second intervals, watch that it doesn’t boil. Milk should be slightly hot to touch but not boiling.300 ml milk
- Whisk the warmed milk into roux. The roux will absorb a lot of milk at first, be careful not to let it become too dry at this stage by adding the milk slowly in a steady stream.
- Once the roux is no longer a paste and a more of a thick custard consistency, place back on a low-medium heat. Alternate whisking until thick and smooth for a few minutes with adding more milk a few tablespoons at a time. Allowing the sauce to thicken in between and adding the milk slowly will create a smooth lump-free sauce. Ensure that the sauce does not get hot enough to boil as this may cause the milk or cheese to curdle. If it starts to bubble, take it off the heat for a bit whilst whisking.
- Once all the milk has been incorporated and the sauce is thick, take off the heat.
- Add the grated cheese all at once and let sit for 30-40 seconds. This allows the cheese to start gently melting and reduces the risk of curdling. Then whisk briskly until all the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth.⅔ cup mature cheddar, grated
- Add the mustard and paprika and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with a lid and set aside.3 tsp Dijon mustard, ¼ tsp paprika
Bacon Harissa Croque Madams
- Preheat the oven to 200°C using the grill setting.
- Fry the bacon until crispy (or to your liking) in a skillet or frying pan. (If you can multitask, do this step whilst making the cheese béchamel. Once done, place on a paper towel to drain off extra grease. For extra flavour, keep the rendered bacon fat in the skillet for the next step.6 rashers bacon
- Slice four slices of sourdough, each 1 ½ -2cm thick. Toast lightly in a toaster.(optional – for fresh soft sourdough this helps prevent a soggy sandwich)4 slices sourdough bread
- Spread a thin layer of mayo on both sidesof each slice of bread.2 tbsp mayonnaise
- To build the sandwich: (easiest to do this inthe skillet pan)Place your pan on medium heat. Add a smallknob of butter to the pan if desired.
- Lay a slice of bread in your skillet or frying pan. Sprinkle over a layer of grated cheese.⅓ cup mature cheddar, grated
- Top with several bacon rashers. Spoon over béchamel to cover and drizzle with harissa.
- Top with another slice of sourdough and press down with a spatula to ensure good contact with the pan. Fry on medium heat until golden brown and gently flip with a spatula to brown the other side.
- Once brown, flip sandwiches onto a non-stick or Silpat lined baking tray. Top with béchamel and grill for 5-10 minutes until browned. Watch closely to ensure it doesn’t burn.
- While the bechamel is browning, heat up your skillet or frying pan with a drizzle of oil and a small knob of butter if desired. Crack in the eggs and fry until to your liking (I like a crispy sunny side up).2 eggs
- Top the grilled béchamel croque with fried egg. Drizzle with harissa and enjoy.
