A truly authentic croque boasts a layer of creamy béchamel sauce, but this is equally tasty – and saves you a good amount of cooking and washing up. It makes a perfect breakfast or brunch – just scale up the recipe according to the number of mouths to feed. A 30 x 20 x 5-cm roasting tray should fit 4–6 croques.
olive oil, for brushing
salted butter, for buttering
1 large slice of sourdough or country-style bread
good-quality mayonnaise or Dijon mustard or both, for spreading
1 large thick slice of ham
1 large egg
40g grated Gruyère cheese
Makes: 1 | Takes: 20 minutes
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F and lightly brush a 30 x 20 x 5-cm roasting tray with olive oil.
Generously butter both sides of the bread. Stamp a circle out of the centre of the bread using a cutter or eggcup a little larger than an egg yolk. Spread the top of the bread with mayonnaise and/or mustard.
Place the bread and the stamped out circle in the tray. Top the bread with the ham – you will have to cut it so it doesn’t cover the hole.
Carefully crack the egg into the hole so that it holds the yolk. Scatter the cheese over the top so that the bread, ham and egg are covered.
Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted, the egg white is set and the yolk is still a little gooey. Serve immediately.