Kimchi Croque Madame Recipe

This kimchi croque madame recipe swaps the ham in a traditional croque madam sandwich with kimchi.

A croque monsieur and a croque madam are both a type of French grilled cheese sandwich with ham and béchamel sauce on top. But a croque madame also has a fried egg on top.

A croque madame sandwich is usually made with Gruyère (or a mature cheddar if I can't get my hands on it for whatever reason). But we're making a kimchi croque madame and using kimchi and gochujang in this recipe, which are both quite strong in flavour. So I'm choosing a milder gouda as the cheese. You can also use mild cheddar instead.

You can also watch me make this kimchi croque madame recipe on my YouTube channel, Tashcakes:

Ready? Let's go.

(Makes one kimchi croque madame.)

Ingredients for Béchamel Sauce:

8g unsalted butter
5g plain flour
60ml milk
Pinch of ground nutmeg

Ingredients for Sandwich:

2 slices of bread
2 tsp gochujang
About 70g kimchi
Small handful of chopped fresh chives
Handful of sliced gouda, or mild cheddar (the equivalent of three big square slices)
1 tbsp unsalted butter (for frying)
Dash of vegetable oil (for frying)

Croque Madame Topping:

1 egg
A little vegetable oil (for frying)
A small handful more of your chosen cheese
Freshly cracked black pepper
A sprinkling more of chopped fresh chives

Method:

1. Make the béchamel sauce by stirring the butter and flour together in a small saucepan over a low to medium heat until the butter has melted and the two come together to form a paste. Gradually stir in the milk, turn up the heat to medium, and keep stirring until very thick. Stir in the nutmeg and set aside.

2. Make your sandwich by spreading the gochujang on both slices, layering up the kimchi, 2/3 of your cheese and chives on one slice, and layering over the other slice gochujang-side-down on top.

3. Fry your sandwich in the butter and oil for about two minutes on each side on a low to medium heat, covering with a lid for the first two minutes, then uncovering after you carefully flip it for the last two minutes. Set your sandwich on a small baking sheet lined with kitchen foil or baking paper.

4. Fry your egg sunny-side up or over-easy, set aside, and preheat your grill to a medium heat.

5. Generously spread on your béchamel sauce on top (you probably won't need all of it), and top with more cheese.

6. Pop under the grill for a minutes or two, or until the cheese is going brown and bubbling.

7. Slide your fried egg on top, sprinkle with a little black pepper and a few more chopped chives, and serve.

Enjoy, and have fun.