Make It Egg-Cellent – in partnership with Eggland's Best, we asked our favorite chefs to take a breakfast, lunch, or dinner staple and make it better by adding EB eggs to it, and ended up with a few exclusive and delicious recipes that you can make at home.
Food is a beautiful platform to bring nostalgia in my life. The flavors of France and West Africa are the ones that brought colors to my childhood and this dish is a pure representation of it.
The Croque Madame is a signature sandwich from France, but I'm all about waking up people's palates with bold flavors, and the blend of tomato and ginger is a popular duet found in Cameroonian cuisine. Who said you couldn't taste memories?
I used Eggland's Best eggs because of their farm fresh taste and extra nutrition compared to ordinary eggs.
Things You’ll Need
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5 tablespoons unsalted butter
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3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
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2 cups whole milk
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4 teaspoons ancient salt
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1/8 teaspoon brown pepper
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1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
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1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
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3 1/2 ounces coarsely grated Gruyère cheese
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8 slices firm wheat sourdough bread
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8 thinly sliced cooked ham (i.e black forest ham)
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4 Eggland’s Best large eggs
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3 tomatoes
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2 garlic cloves thinly minced
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1 tbsp of fresh ginger thinly minced
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1 tbsp of olive oil
Béchamel Sauce
Step 1
To make the béchamel sauce, melt butter in a heavy saucepan on low heat and gradually add flour while whisking it into the butter until you cook it "roux". Once the desired "roux" is obtained, add milk and bring the blend to a boil while whisking as you start reducing heat. Then add salt, pepper, nutmeg and parmesan cheese until cheese is melted. Remove from heat.
Sandwich
Step 1: Make Sandwiches
On a flat surface, spread 4 slices of the sourdough bread and lightly butter the top of each slice. Add 1 to 2 slices of black forest ham on each of the slices.
Step 2: In a Mixing Bowl
In mixing bowl, add both the béchamel sauce and half of the gruyere and divide the mix between the 4 bread slices on top of the ham. Add the other 4 slices of bread to make 4 sandwiches.
Step 3: In a Skillet
Put a bit of butter on a skillet over medium heat and cook sandwich for 3 to 4 minutes each, or until slices turn slightly brown and cheese starts melting.
Step 4: In a Broiler
Turn oven to broil mode. In a baking sheet, place all 4 sandwiches in the baking sheet and top sandwiches with the rest of béchamel and grey to boil the wiz into a creamy cheesy crust. Broil sandwiches 4 to 5 inches from heat until sauce is bubbling and golden in spots, 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 5: In a Medium Skillet
In a skillet over medium heat, add a layer of butter for the egg toppings.
Crack Eggland's Best eggs into the skillet once butter is hot. Fry cook eggs, covered, until whites are firm and yolks are runny for 3 minutes. Carefully place Eggland's Best eggs on top of sandwiches with a fried egg and sprinkle a bit of cayenne pepper to add a kick to it.
With the same skillet, add a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Once olive oil is hot, add diced garlic and ginger and cook until the mix becomes translucent, then add tomatoes and cook for 6 to 8 minutes.
Add pepper and 1 tablespoon of tomato blend on top of Eggland's Best eggs. Sprinkle the tomatoes with a pinch of ancient salt.
Bon Appetit!
