If you’ve never enjoyed this delicious French sandwich, it’s a must try. All of France is currently on curfew and I’m not flying to Paris anytime soon (although I do love that city!), so made un petit dejeuner pour mes filles! Open faced instead of twice the bread. Started with a slice of ham on pan-toasted sourdough, a super light bechamel all topped with delicious gruyere cheese and an over medium egg. It does not disappoint!
If you have sourdough bread, that is the best for this! And I like to have this as an open-faced sandwich instead of your traditional sandwich, but do as you please.
Recipe:
2 slices sourdough bread, medium sliced
4 slices deli ham (I used Boars Head brand Virginia Ham)
2 T butter
2 T flour
1 c milk
pinch of nutmeg
salt & pepper, to taste
About 1-2 cups shredded Gruyere (trust me-- just use this cheese!)
2 eggs
2 t butter
Alright, let's assemble! Turn your oven on to broil. Now I like to make the short-cut bechamel first. In a small pot over medium heat melt butter and once melted add flour. Stir until flour is combined and create a roux. Slowly add in the milk. Bring to a quick boil and then move heat to low. The milk mixture will be thick, but not clumped. If it is, simply add a little water or more milk. The mix should be thick and creamy. Add the pinch of nutmeg, salt & pepper to taste. Remove from heat and set aside.
On a flat griddle pan (the one you use to make pancakes) over medium high heat melt a little bit of butter and begin to lightly toast the sourdough on one side. Flip when the bottom is a bit crisp and toast the other side.
Top the sourdough with 2 slices of ham, some of the bechamel and enough shredded Gruyere to cover the slice. Place slices on a parchment lined baking sheet and put into the oven to broil. Keep an eye on the broiler-- you don't want the cheese to burn, but you do want it to be bubbling and brown on top.
Using the same flat griddle pan over medium high heat, add a tab of butter and make yourself two over medium eggs. If you don't want the eggs, just have it as is with a little salad. But if you enjoy a nice healthy, runny egg, then this will be a wonderful addition to toasted ham and cheese. Remove toast from the broiler when browned and top each with one egg. Serve with salad....with all that richness, it's best to have balance with a nice light salad to contrast the yummy cheesy goodness of this sandwich. Enjoy, friends!!
Bon Appetit,
Soultree