Brunch-ing Manila (in Bed): Making Croque Madame

Yesterday, my parents showed up with a big loaf of ciabatta for me and Matt. They know about Matt's love affair with good bread (one of the two things he has in common with my mom- the other thing is OCD), so it was sweet of them to swing by the deli at their apartment building before picking me up for lunch. Since I have been off booze for the past few days (and will be for a few more days to come) because I'm on meds for a nasty cough, making brunch on a weekend morning was not such a laughable possibility. So, I pick-up a few more deli items and realize that not only can I make a mean sandwich with these goodies, but I can actually make Croque Madame.

Below is a recipe (loosely based on a recipe I got from Epicurious.com) of this decadent brunch dish or entree that, quite honestly, is more "low-maintenance" than it's name leads you to believe.

Croque Madame (good for 2)

2 thick slices of hearty bread (in this case, ciabatta)
Butter
Olive oil
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup low-fat milk
2 slices Turkey ham ( for Matt the Pork Hater)
2 slices Gruyere cheese
2 eggs
Nutmeg
Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

Procedure:
-Make some bechamel sauce. In a small sauce pan, cook the flour in two knobs of butter over low heat for two minutes. Slowly stir in the milk until fully incorporated, season with a couple pinches of nutmeg, and cook until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
- slice 2 chunky pieces of ciabatta, approximately 3"x3". Slice the top part off so you're left with a relatively flat surface and place on a baking pan. Smear a thin layer of dijon mustard on both slices of bread then top with turkey ham. Smooth some bechamel on top of the ham, and then a slice of gruyere. Put the oven on "broil" and set it on "high". Broil the croques for 2 minutes or until cheese starts boiling, switch off oven and then move the baking pan to the bottom to keep them warm.
-On a frying pan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of butter. Cook eggs until yolks are still runny and season with salt and pepper. Remove croques from baking sheet and place fried eggs on top of each croque.
- Serve immediately