There is nothing I love more than a Sunday morning lie in followed by a spot of bunch!
It was time to see what Rachel Khoo had to offer. What could be more perfect for Sunday brunch than Croque Madame Muffins? I hadn't seen something like before but what an awesome idea!
Croque Madame is a grilled ham and cheese sandwich served with a fried egg on top. The Croque Madame Muffin combines all of the ingredients of a Croque Madame into an individual muffin.
The best part of these muffins is the béchamel sauce. Béchamel to me sounded quite tricky when I first heard the term but it is simply a classic way of making a white sauce. Made from using a mixture of butter and flour to make up a roux which is then cooked with milk to form the creamy yummy white sauce.
Serves 6
Ingredients
6 Slices of white bread with crusts removed
6 Small eggs
6 Slices of ham
3 Tbsp melted butter
Sauce:
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
200ml Milk
1/2 Tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 Tsp Nutmeg
30g Grated gruyere
Directions
1. Turn oven on to 180°C / 350°C / gas mark 4
2. Brush a muffin tin with some melter butter
3. Melt the butter in a pan and add flour. Beat until it forms a smooth paste. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 2 minutes.
4. Whisk the milk in slowly until there are no more lumps. Place the pan back on the heat and add the mustard and nutmeg. Allow to simmer gently whilst to move back onto the bread. Keep an eye that it doesn't catch though.
5. Flatten your white bread with a rolling pin until nice and thin and brush the front and back of each slice with melted butter.
6. Push each piece of bread into the muffin tin, making sure to push down into the inside edges of the bread.
7. Put a slice of ham at the bottom of each muffin and then top with an egg. If you think the egg may be too big, pour away some of the egg white and just pop the yolk and a little of the white into each muffin.
8. Remove the sauce from the heat and add the cheese, be sure to leave some to sprinkle on the top later. Stir the sauce until the cheese is melted. The sauce shouldn't be too think and should run off the spoon quite thick but doesn't get stuck! If it is too think, just whisk in a little more milk.
9. Spoon 2 tablespoons of sauce over each muffin and sprinkle with the remaining cheese and pepper. Before adding the sauce, I placed a piece of sliced tomato on top of each one but that is completely up to you how you like it.
10. For the finishing touches, brush the corners of each muffin with melted butter and pop in the oven for 15 minutes. (20 minutes if you like your yolks a little harder).
Finally, server immediately and enjoy.
I have a great deal of recipe books that I have collected over the years, some dating back to the 1800's that have been passed down through the generations. There is one specific shelf that I have collated my current favourite recipe books on that I plan on working through for the next couple of months.
So what do we have on the shelf of delights this month?
From L to R:
Gwyneth Paltrow - Its All Good
This is a new one that I bought this week having heard some pretty good things about it. And as Gwyneth Paltrow as just been voted the worlds most beautiful woman, it cannot be all that bad!
In all seriousness though, there are some really interesting recipes in there that I am looking forward to trying such as Sweet Potato and Five Spice Muffins.
Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics
I dont think there is anyone out there that doesn't like a bit of Barefoot Contessa. I started watching Ina Garten during my university days. I felt my waistline increasing just watching some of the things that she cooked. And therefore I had to buy her recipe book! I love Ina's Fruitcake Cookies that she freezes before baking. I have never actually baked the Fruitcake version but always used the recipe for all my cookies and have made flavours such as dark chocolate pistachio cookies and chocolate hazelnut cookies. They are to die for!
Rachel Khoo - The Little Paris Kitchen
I LOVE RACHEL KHOO! I first saw Rachel Khoo on her BBC show of the same name. I loved the easiness of her french recipes and bought her book the moment it came out. It is definitely my most used recipe book on the shelf but I haven't used it for a while so am looking forward to trying some of the recipes I have not yet made.
(Photo above from The Little Paris Kitchen - Cured Sausage, Pistachio and Prune Cake)
Jamie Oliver - Jamie's America, 30 Minute Meals and Happy Days with The Naked Chef
You cannot go wrong with a bit of Jamie Oliver. His recipes are always fantastic and simple. My favourite Jamie Oliver book is Jamie's America. Again one that I have done a number of recipes from in the past but am looking forward to revisiting.
(Photo below from Jamie's America - Chilli Cheese Cornbread)
Pieminister - A Pie for All Seasons
If you haven't tried a Pieminister Pie yet, you are missing out. They are mine and Jamie's favourite! This is one that I have set as a challenge for myself. I have not yet been able to make pastry successfully and have only ever made suet pudding which is the closet to making a pie that I have gotten! I really want to learn to make pastry so will be picking a few delights from this.
Nigel Slater - The Kitchen Diaries II
I bought this recipe book for Jamie this week as he had expressed an interest in getting a Nigel Slater book. Possibly one of my best purchases in a while. Nigel uses this book as a diary and has a recipe for every day of the year. I cannot wait to give some of these a go as they look absolutely scrummy!
(Photo below from The Kitchen Diaries II - Sauerkraut and Mushroom Pierogi)
The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook
This is one of those cookbooks that I go to when I need a good cake recipe and it never lets me down! But there are some recipes in here that I have never thought of touching as they look pretty tricky but now is the time to have a go.
(Photo below from Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook - Brooklyn Blackout Cake)
Marian Keyes - Saved By Cake
Yes Marian Keyes can usually be found writing novels but did recently release a recipe book of baked goods that I am yet to try. They really do look good so I would like to see how this novelist-turned-cook's recipes turn out.
(Photo Below from Saved By Cake - Pecan Pie)
Mrs Beeton - Everyday Cooking and Housekeeping
This is the oldest book on the shelf. I don't know when it was first published but its definitely from the late 1800's. There are some peculiar things in here that I would like to try.
Book With No Name
This is the book with no name because it is so old that the cover has completely rubbed off. It is a recipe book from my hometown that has a number of recipes in that local residents had submitted. There are some really great and unusual recipes in here that I cannot wait to try.
The recipes that I feature in this blog will be recipes of my own but I will also be trying recipes from these books along the way. I will let you know which book a recipe has come from a book and who it's by.
