When people think of childhood meals, they often picture pizza or pasta. For me, it’s my mom’s famous Croque Madame. Growing up, she made it nearly every week for dinner. The smell of perfectly toasted bread would fill the house, instantly bringing joy to my sisters and me.

Croque Madames are not only delicious, but also simple and easy to make. They became a staple in our home because the dish requires minimal preparation while still feeling special. Even on busy nights, my mom could put together a warm, homemade meal that everyone loved.

Originally from France, the Croque Madame uses ingredients that can be found almost anywhere. While the traditional version is made with Gruyère cheese and ham, the sandwich is easy to adapt to personal preferences with different cheeses or meats.

A similar dish, the Croque Monsieur, includes bread, cheese, and butter but leaves out the egg. It’s a great alternative if you’re short on time, need something easier to transport, or simply don’t like eggs.

There are several ways to cook a Croque Madame, but my favorite is using a panini press. If you don’t have one, an oven or griddle works just as well.

For me, the Croque Madame is more than just a sandwich, it’s a meal deeply connected to my childhood and a reminder of cozy family dinners that I still cherish today.

Ingredients:

• 2 Slices of bread
• Gruyère Cheese
• Ham
• Butter
• One Egg

Instruction:

1. The first step is to butter the bread. If you want to, you can toast the bread to start but usually if you are doing it on the griddle, oven, or panini press, you don’t need to toast the bread to start.
2. Next, you put how many slices of gruyère and ham you want on one side of the bread then close the Croque Madame.
3. Finally, you put the finished Croque Madame in the griddle, oven, or panini press.
4. Flip the Croque Madame after about one minute or when you see the cheese start to melt and bread gets a golden color.
5. After flipping the Croque Madame, take it off after another one minute.
6. While the Croque Madame is cooking, take out a pan, spray it with cooking spray, and cook your egg.
7. Once your egg and Croque Madame are both cooked, place the egg on top of the Croque Madame, sprinkle some grated cheese, and enjoy!