Le croque-monsieur 🥪

Ingredients

• 2 slices Japanese Milk Bread (soft, fluffy shokupan, about 60 g each)
• 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter (for pan‑frying the bread)
• 30 g Gruyère Cheese (thinly sliced or grated)
• 30 g White Ham (thinly sliced, high‑quality)
• 4 Egg Yolks (large, room temperature)
• 100 ml Water
• 2 pinches Salt
• 1 tablespoon Lime Juice (freshly squeezed)
• 1 pinch Piment d'Espelette (optional for mild heat)
• 1 pinch Black Pepper
• 50 g Unsalted Butter (for sauce) (cut into cubes, melted slowly)

Instructions

1. Butter the Bread

   Spread a thin, even layer of unsalted butter on both sides of each slice of Japanese milk bread.

   Time: PT2M

2. Color the Bread in the Pan

   Heat the non‑stick skillet over medium heat, add the remaining butter, and place the bread slices butter‑side down. Cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side, then flip and repeat.

   Time: PT4M

   Temperature: medium heat

3. Prepare the Sabayon Base

   In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, water, a pinch of salt, and the lime juice until the mixture is pale and slightly thickened.

   Time: PT2M

4. Cook the Sabayon

   Transfer the bowl to a saucepan of barely simmering water (double boiler). Whisk continuously over low heat until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, then slowly drizzle in the melted butter while whisking. Finish with a pinch of piment d'Espelette and black pepper.

   Time: PT5M

   Temperature: low heat

5. Assemble the Sandwich

   On one slice of the toasted bread, layer the Gruyère cheese, then the thin ham, and sprinkle a little pepper. Top with the second slice, buttered side up.

   Time: PT1M

6. Melt the Cheese

   Return the assembled sandwich to the skillet, press lightly with a spatula, and cook for about 1 minute until the cheese is fully melted.

   Time: PT1M

   Temperature: medium heat

7. Trim the Crust and Cut

   Using a sharp knife, trim off the crusts of the sandwich, then cut the sandwich into four equal triangles.

   Time: PT1M

8. Plate and Serve

   Arrange the four sandwich pieces on a plate, drizzle or serve the warm sabayon on the side, and enjoy immediately.

   Time: PT1M

Nutrition Facts

Calories

1110

Protein

30 g

Carbohydrates

80 g

Fat

60 g

Fiber

2 g