A Play-on Croque Madame

Croque Madame

I found a recipe for a croque madame while flipping through a magazine. A croque madame is a sandwich native to Normandy that is served with a fried or poached egg on top. I decided to make this croque madame using ingredients I had available in my refrigerator, and I whipped it up for breakfast.

Ingredients:
Butter, softened
4- 1/4 inch thick slices of bakery bread (use your favorite- I used my mom's homemade bread with raisins)
4 ounces cheese, sliced (use what you have available- I used cheddar cheese)
6 slices bacon, well done
2 extra large eggs
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Butter one side of each slice of bread. Set 2 of the bread slices buttered side down and cover with cheese slices, folding the cheese back in toward the middle if it extends over the edges of the bread. Place 3 slices of well-done cooked bacon on each sandwich in an even layer over the cheese. Place the top slice of the bread over the bacon, buttered side up. Grill the sandwiches in a medium hot skillet until the bread is golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 3 minutes per side.

2. Crack 2 eggs into 2 separate bowls and check that the yolks aren't broken. In a large non-stick skillet, melt half of the butter over medium-high heat until bubbling. Pour one egg in the pan at a time being careful not to break the yolk. Add 2 teaspoons of water to the pan, sprinkle the eggs with salt to taste and cover the pans. Cook the eggs for about 3 minutes for a soft cooked egg and 5-6 minutes for a firm egg. When cooked, remove the eggs and center a fried egg over each of the grilled sandwiches and sprinkle with pepper to taste.

Serves 2