Croque Madame?  Oui! Oui!

As most people know I try to stay away from Roux's if at all possible!  The traditional form of this recipe calls for a Béchamel sauce, but what caught my eye about this recipe is that it uses a "faux" version of the sauce by using sour cream.  Not only is it quick and easy, but has a great flavor and is healthier than using butter and cream, which you would use for a typical Béchamel sauce.  I have to give Melissa d'Arabian from the Food Network credit on this one!  The things I added or changed to this recipe were: nutmeg, canadian bacon and arugula.    -Rachel

Ingredients

• 4 large slices country-style bread
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 pieces of Canadian bacon
• Fresh arugula
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 eggs

Directions

Preheat the broiler on low.  Toast the bread just until a light crisp forms.  In a small bowl, toss the cheese with the white wine and allow to sit.

Swiss cheese soaking in wine!

In another small bowl mix together the sour cream, garlic, mustard, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. On a baking sheet, lay out the bread slices. Take less than one-quarter of the sour cream mixture and divide evenly among the bread slices, spreading thinly to coat 1 side of each slice. Next, evenly distribute the ham on top of the bread. Divide the rest of the sour cream mixture over the ham. Spoon the cheese on top of the sour cream mixture, blotting lightly before adding to remove any excess wine.

Preheat a large, nonstick saute pan over medium heat and melt the butter. Crack the eggs into the pan and fry, either over-easy or sunny-side up, according to your preference.

While the eggs are cooking, place the open-faced sandwiches under the broiler until very bubbly and lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Watch closely and don't let the topping burn. Place each sandwich on a plate. Top each sandwich with arugula and then place 1 egg on each sandwich.  Salt and pepper to taste.  (Note: If you use Canadian bacon instead of deli ham it has a tendency to be pretty salty, so watch your salt seasoning!)  Garnish top with arugula sprigs and serve with a side of soup.  

After broiling

We served with Tomato Soup