Croque Madame Lunchtime Muffins

After watching the fabulous Rachel Khoo again on Sunday mornings, I wanted to give her take on the Croque Madame a go for a Saturday lunch. An alternative to eggs on toast, she adapts the ingredients for a classic Croque Madame and turns them into a crispy, béchamel/mornay stuffed treat, perfect for all the family.

I can’t compete with the beautiful photography and wonderful writing of this little gem of a blog from ‘Eat, Little Bird’, but this is where I found the recipe. It’s a simple combination and you can really add whatever you’d like. Since it was also for my toddler, I left salt and cheese out from the béchamel as there was to be cheese on top.

You’ll need:

milk, flour, butter, grated nutmeg and Dijon mustard for the béchamel.

ham/bacon, small eggs & cheese for the filling

sliced white bread and melted butter for the cases.

Method:

Cut the crusts from the bread (I shoved these in the coffee grinder to make breadcrumbs for the freezer!) then butter both sides. I melted the butter first but don’t think this really matters as it will melt in the oven anyway!

Next, push each slice into a muffin or dariole mould (1), place some torn ham or cooked bacon pieces in the bottom of each (2) and tip a small egg on top (3). If the egg is too big (I used the small ones my chickens have just begun laying again this week) tip a little of the white out into a freezer bag and freeze to use for meringue at a later date.

Make a quick béchamel: Pop a tablespoon of butter into a hot pan and quickly whisk in some plain flour until the mixture begins to form a ball. Slowly, tip some milk in and whisk quickly over a high heat. Pour a little in at a time and continue adding until you have a thick, cream sauce. Add the mustard and nutmeg. You can add grated cheese here too. Pour on top of the egg (4).

Grate a little cheese on top, sprinkle with pepper (5) and place in the oven at 180 oC for 12-15 minutes if you like the yolks runny, and 15-20 minutes if you prefer them more cooked.

The whole process is a little phaffy (especially when compared to poached eggs and ham on toast!) but the end result was lovely: A nice crispy shell, helped, I think, by the fact I used metal cases rather than silicone; and melted insides. I’d add more béchamel next time and reduce the cooking time so the yolk was runny as mine needed a little more moisture as they were quite dry. I’d also add some chopped parsley and maybe some chives for a little more flavour. If you used a smoked bacon, that would be really delicious! I’d do this again as the ingredients are those usually found in the fridge and cupboards, but probably only if I had some leftover béchamel from a lasagne or similar to reduce phaffiness!

Marmite Cheddar

What could be better than Marmite-smeared toast topped with melted cheddar? I think the pictures might be a bit of a give-away! I never knew Marmite made cheese but they have certainly stumbled upon a niche in the market here. Marmite combined with Cheddar.

Despite my desire to eat all of this as soon as returned from purchasing it, the tempting little package lay in my fridge rather a long time before I got round to eating it and the anticipation grew over time. So, when I finally broke through the brown wax layer I was, to say the least, mildly disappointed. My first wonder had been the colour; how could you blend cheese and Marmite without it being brown? The answer is, apparently, you don't. The Marmite was simply little flecks that ran across the cheese.

The Cheddar itself was delicious, crumbly and light with a good flavour, but not of Marmite. As a keen Marmite lover, as you'd presume if I've chosen to buy this product, I was expecting that sharp bitter punch that hits you when you smear a little too much on a slice of toast, but there was no fear of this happening. The flavour was apparent, just, when eaten on its own, but as soon as it was melted over toast, whilst the cheese was good, there was a distinct lack of Marmiteness.

The verdict? Although the cheese was lovely, for £1.69 for a little round, I'll stick to spreading Marmite on toast, then adding cheese before popping under the grill. At least if you're going to call it 'Marmite Cheddar Cheese' give it some taste. More Marmite please!