It doesn’t get much better than croque monsieur: layers of good, toasty bread, creamy béchamel, smoky ham, and nutty Gruyère. Top it with a perfectly poached egg, and it becomes croque madame. It’s what brunch (and dinner!) dreams are made of.

Croque madame — croque monsieur topped with a poached egg — on a cutting board.

Croque monsieur is an iconic French dish, a simple sandwich at its core, but gussied up with a rich, creamy sauce, also known as béchamel. This one, prepared open-faced, is one of those assemblies where the product is so much more than the sum of its parts: a tablespoon of béchamel, a slice of ham, a handful of cheese. Sprinkled with fresh thyme out of the oven, and topped with a poached egg, which makes it croque madame, this classic French dish is heaven, a perfect breakfast or, with a salad by its side, a simple dinner.

Note: You could easily make this vegetarian by swapping in sautéed greens or mushrooms or roasted asparagus or fresh tomatoes for the ham.

How to Make Croque Monsieur/ Croque Madame, Step by Step

First, make the bechamel by melting the butter, sautéeing the onion, adding the flour and milk, and cooking until the mixture coats the back of a spoon.

bechamel ingredients on a boardL onion, butter, flour, salt, milk, bay leaf.

Next, gather your remaining ingredients: ham, cheese, thyme, and some good bread.

Croque monsieur ingredients on a board: ham, Gruyère, thyme, bread, béchamel.

Make an open-faced sandwich as follows: broil however many slices of bread you wish for 1 minute on each side, then place the slices on a rack set atop a sheet pan. Spread bechamel over the slices, then top with sliced ham and grated cheese.

Croque monsieur in the making: Two slices of toast topped with béchamel, ham, and cheese on a rack set on a sheet pan.

Broil until bubbly, then sprinkle with fresh thyme.

Croque monsieur: Two slices of toast topped with béchamel, ham, and cheese, just broiled.

To make a croque madame, you’ll top the sandwich with a poached egg:

Two eggs poaching in a pot on the stovetop.
Croque Madame: Two slices of toast topped with béchamel, ham, and cheese, broiled and topped with poached eggs.
Croque madame: Toast slicked with béchamel, topped with ham, Gruyère, and a perfect poached egg.
Side view of croque madame: Toast slicked with béchamel, topped with ham, Gruyère, and a perfect poached egg with the yolk oozing out.

For a simple dinner, serve the Croque Monsieur/Madame with a simple salad.

A bowl of salad aside a halved croque madame.
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Croque madame — croque monsieur topped with a poached egg — on a cutting board.

How to Make Croque Monsieur and Croque Madame

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  • Author: Alexandra Stafford
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 2 , with lots of extra bechamel 1x
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Description

It doesn’t get much better than croque monsieur: layers of good, toasty bread, creamy béchamel, smoky ham, and nutty Gruyère. Top it with a perfectly poached egg, and it becomes croque madame. It’s what brunch (and dinner!) dreams are made of.

Notes:

Bechamel recipe adapted from Nancy Silverton’s Sandwich Book

Ingredients

For the croque monsieur:

  • good bread, cut into thick slices
  • béchamel (recipe below)
  • 3 to 4 slices good ham (figure 1 to 2 per sandwich)
  • grated Gruyère, Comté or Swiss cheese
  • fresh thyme leaves

For the béchamel:

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
  • kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 bayleaf

For the poached eggs:

  • 2 eggs (count on 1 egg per sandwich)
  • splash of white vinegar

Instructions

  1. Prepare pot for eggs: Fill a shallow saucepan with two to three inches water and bring to a simmer.
  2. Prepare the béchamel: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook about 5 to 7 minutes or until the onion is soft but has not begun to color. Turn the heat to very low, add the flour, and stir to combine it with the onion and butter. Continue to cook over low heat until the flour is absorbed, stirring constantly so that it doesn’t brown, about 2 minutes or so. Slowly stir in the milk. Drop in the bay leaf.
  3. Over medium to medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat to its lowest setting and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the sauce from burning on the bottom of the pan. Taste and cook longer if the taste of raw flour is still detectable. The mixture should be thick, but if it’s too thick and becoming difficult to stir, you’ll need to whisk in a little more milk. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
  4. Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Place the slices of bread on a rack on a sheet pan (or a broiling pan) and broil them about a minute on each side. Remove pan from the oven.
  5. Spread about 1 tablespoon of béchamel over each slice of bread. Top with 1 to 2 slices of ham. Top with grated cheese to taste. Set aside.
  6. Crack each egg into a small bowl or ramekin. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of vinegar into the pot of simmering shallow water. Adjust the heat so that the water is barely simmering — get the water to a simmer, then turn it down so you don’t see any bubbles. Use the handle of a wooden spoon to make a whirlpool in the water, then drop one egg into the center of the whirlpool. Repeat with other egg. Adjust the heat to keep the water just below a simmer. Set the timer for 3 minutes.
  7. When the eggs have cooked for 3 minutes, place the toasts under the broiler and cook until the cheese is bubbling and starting to brown. Remove from the oven. Sprinkle with the fresh thyme.
  8. Meanwhile, using a slotted spoon, lift one egg up from the water and shake it. The yolk should jiggle a little bit, but shouldn’t look too loose. You might have to cook the eggs for a minute longer. Note: Knowing when poached eggs are done is just a matter of practice and preference — personally I don’t like the yolk to taste raw, but I still like it runny, and for this consistency, I usually have to cook the eggs for about 4 to 5 minutes. When the eggs look cooked to your liking, remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
  9. Top each sandwich with a poached egg. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste.
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Oven, Stovetop
  • Cuisine: French, American