Les croque-madame

Hot open cheese sandwiches with cognac, kirsch, or rum


As I had a loaf of bread going pleasantly stale, I thought I’d give this a try as an appetiser course this evening. You probably don’t need me to point out that this isn’t health food. With ½ lb of Swiss cheese, four eggs and 6 tablespoons of melted butter divided between six pieces, it is not the sort thing you’d want along with a heavy meal. As I served main course light salads this evening, the accompaniment worked well. The recipe comes from Simca’s Cuisine, One Hundred Classic French Recipes for Every Occasion by, Simone Beck. I did not fuss over cutting them neatly (as you can see), and I used a bit more topping than directed. They were still delicious, if unattractive.

You Will Need:

6 large slices of stale white bread, crusts removed-Beck suggests slicing the day before and leaving them to dry. I placed mine in a low-temperature oven until sufficiently dried.
¼ cup cold milk
2 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs
½ pound imported Swiss cheese, grated
2 tablespoons cognac, kirsch, or rum
½ teaspoon paprika
salt
cayenne pepper or Tabasco
butter for baking sheet
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Mix flour into the cold milk and the baking powder, mixing thoroughly. Add the eggs, cheese, and alcohol and season with paprika, salt and cayenne. Mix thoroughly. Up to this point can be prepared about two hours ahead (I did four without any problem) and set in the icebox or as Beck suggests, the coldest part of the kitchen.

Preheat the broiler. Butter a baking sheet and arrange the slices of stale bread on the sheet. Spread each evenly with a 1/3 inch layer of the mixture and pour over each an additional tablespoon of melted butter. Place under the broiler for about 3- minutes or until evenly golden brown. I turned the sheet half way through to ensure even browning. When the pieces have cooled slightly, cut them into two rectangles. Serve warm.