Croque Madame Tray Bake

• milk↗300ml ml
• onion↗½

  coarsely chopped

• cloves↗2
• bay leaf↗1
• butter↗20g g
• plain flour↗20g g
• English mustard↗1 tbsp tbsp
• butter↗knob of soft
• medium bread slices6

  preferably sourdough

• ham↗6 slices cooked smoked
• Gruyère↗6 slices

  or any other hard meltable cheese you have

• eggs↗3
• parmesan↗handful

  finely grated

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   To make the sauce, heat the milk in a saucepan together with the onion, cloves and bay leaf. When it boils, remove from heat and let steep for 30 minutes, then strain.

2. 2

   Melt the butter in another pan and add the flour. Cook for 4‑5 minutes until the mixture becomes sandy. Gradually whisk in the milk, then cook over medium heat, constantly stirring until the sauce thickens. Add the English mustard and season to taste. Set aside to cool. It can be made up to two days in advance.

3. 3

   Preheat the oven to 180 °C/160 °C with convection (gas 4). Butter a large baking tray enough to hold three slices of bread, then butter and toast the bread, and assemble three sandwiches, each with two slices of ham and cheese. Spread white sauce on top and make a small well in the sauce for each sandwich. Crack an egg into each well, then sprinkle with parmesan. Bake for 20 minutes or until the whites set.