Croque Madame Crepes

Croque Madame crepes are a sure-fire way to impress Mom this Mother’s Day. Black Forest ham and nutty Gruyere cheese are nestled into freshly made crepes, and then slathered in a homemade Gruyere cheese sauce. A perfectly runny sunny-side-up egg tops off each package, making these the perfect breakfast to start the day.

Mother’s Day is right around the corner, and for the first time, I’m one of the mothers being celebrated. It’s a strange feeling, and, honestly, for me, it’s still all about my Mom since, you know, she’s been mothering for 29 years longer than I have. We will typically go out to a fancy buffet brunch and enjoy the outdoors, but I have to say, this year, I’m awfully tempted to stay home, make these Croque Madame Crepes and eat them al fresco with my Mom and the rest of our family instead.

To me, there’s no better way to show someone you love them than with a home-cooked meal, and I know no mother would turn down these beauties.

There’s just something about crepes that scream elegance and special occasion, but in reality, they couldn’t be simpler to make. While most people are used to the sweet variety of crepe, they’re just as good prepared savory-style; in fact, most of the time, that’s how I prefer them. Here, I’ve taken all the classic components of a Croque Madame and transformed them into the ultimate crepe.

For those of you unfamiliar, a Croque Madame is basically the French version of a ham and cheese sandwich, topped off with a perfectly runny sunny-side-up egg. The crepe adaptation here is layered with good-quality Black Forest ham and nutty Gruyere cheese, and then popped into the oven until the cheese starts to ooze out the sides of the crepes, and the ham is hot.

Next, in my opinion, is the best part of the ensemble – gooey Gruyere cheese sauce. While this is an additional, seemingly unimportant step; trust me, the dish is infinitely better with it. Basically, the sauce is a béchamel, or white sauce, laced with a little bit of Dijon mustard, salt and plenty of extra Gruyere cheese.

Using Gruyere is important, and you can find it at pretty much any grocery store these days. But if it just so happens that you can’t find it, an aged Swiss will also work.

Once each crepe is warm, gooey and doused in cheese sauce, top it off with the classic runny egg, and it’s ready to be served. All Mom needs after that is a tall glass of champagne and a big bouquet of flowers to make it the perfect Mother’s Day.