Croque madame, leg ham, comté béchamel

Method

For the béchamel, in a saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the milk with the bay leaves, mustard seeds, nutmeg, onion and cloves. Bring the milk to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside for 15 minutes to steep. Strain out the onion and other aromats from the milk. In another saucepan over low heat, melt the butter, then add the flour and gently cook it out for 3 minutes, to produce a colourless roux. Add the milk to the roux, a little at a time, whisking constantly to make sure that the mixture is consistent in texture before adding more milk. This will also prevent lumps from forming. Continue simmering the béchamel for a further 2 minutes on low heat, until the sauce is thick. Season the béchamel with the white pepper and salt and set aside. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter one side of each brioche slice, then fry, buttered side down, in a large frying pan over low heat until golden and crisp. Place the brioche slices on a baking tray, buttered side down, and cover the uncooked side with the ham and cheese, making sure not to leave any of the brioche exposed. Bake in the oven for 7 minutes, until the cheese is well melted and has a touch of colour. While the sandwich is cooking, fry the eggs. We like to cook them in a fair amount of butter over low heat, just until the whites are set and the yolks are still soft. For the pea tendril salad, assemble the ingredients and dress with the house dressing. Remove the brioche from the oven and assemble to make two sandwiches. To build the plate, place the sandwiches on serving plates, then pour 50 ml of the béchamel sauce over the top of the sandwich and finish with a fried egg. Place the salad on the plate and finish with some seeded mustard and cornichons.