Weekly Food Challenge

Which was meant to be a Croque Madame, but went a bit pan-European when there wasn't any gruyère in the shop, and even more so when I got home to find the sliced bread was all gone.

Ingredients (very approximate - I did this all by eye)

One ciabatta roll
2 slices smoked ham (German, in this case)
Butter
1 oz plain flour
1/4 pint milk
2 oz cheddar cheese
1 egg
Mustard (we had some rather nice German mustard with Calvados, which worked beautifully)


Equipment

Bread knife
Frying pan
Cheese grater
Saucepan
Wooden spoon
Fish slice
Plate


Method

Grate the cheese.

Slice the ciabatta roll open, all the way, and fry gently on both sides in a little of the butter.

Meanwhile, make up the white sauce: melt approx 1 oz of butter, stir in the flour, and then add the milk, stirring in a little at a time and letting it thicken into a sauce-like consistency. Stir in about half the cheese.

Melt a little more butter in the frying pan and start frying the egg.

Assemble the sandwich (on a plate) as follows: bottom half of ciabatta - spread with cheese sauce - lay the sliced ham on top - spread with mustard - add the remaining cheese - spread any remaining cheese sauce on the top half of the bread - and add the top of the bread.

Move the whole lot back to the frying pan to warm through again. When the egg is done, plonk it on top.