Marshall Scarborough
VP Menu & Culinary Innovation
Bojangles

Croque Madame Triple Threat

Recipe courtesy of Marshall Scarborough
Sponsor: La Brea Bakery

Servings: 1

Ingredients

Hot Maple Bacon:

• 2 oz thick-cut bacon
• 1 oz maple syrup
• ¼ tsp ground ghost pepper

Bacon Mayo:

• 1 egg yolk
• ¼ tsp Creole mustard
• 2 oz bacon fat

Mornay Sauce:

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 c milk
• ½ small onion
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp ground white pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 oz shredded Gruyere cheese

Stuffed Sausage:

• 4 oz mild country sausage
• 1 1/2 oz thinly sliced Gruyere cheese

Ham:

• 1 ½ oz (2 thin slices) deli ham

Fried Egg:

• 1 tsp butter
• 1 egg

Final Build:

• 1 egg
• ½ c heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1 La Brea Bakery^® Plant Based Brioche Bun, halved
• ¼ oz arugula

Directions

Hot Maple Bacon:

1. Preheat a convection oven to 325°F.
2. Cover a sheet pan with foil and lay the bacon on the pan.
3. Mix the ground ghost pepper and maple syrup together and drizzle them
   over the bacon. Use a spoon to cover the entire surface of the bacon.
4. Bake for about 10 minutes and check the bacon. Continue checking on it in 1- to 2-minute increments to make sure it doesn’t burn.
5. Once it is done cooking, pour off the fat and let it cool down. Cut the bacon in half and keep it at room temperature.

Bacon Mayo:

1. In a bowl, combine the egg yolk and mustard, whipping to incorporate air into the yolk.
2. Slowly drizzle in the reserved bacon fat, making sure not to break the emulsion. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Mornay Sauce:

1. In a small pot, melt the butter and slowly stir in the flour, making sure no lumps are present. Stir and heat over low until the roux is blonde.
2. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly.
3. Add the onion, cloves, nutmeg, pepper and bay leaf and simmer on low for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove the onion and bay leaf. If the sauce has lumps, you can strain through a fine mesh strainer.
5. Return the sauce to medium-low heat and slowly add the Gruyere and stir until the sauce is smooth. Keep the sauce warm until you are ready to assemble the sandwich.

Stuffed Sausage:

1. Form two 2-oz patties of the sausage. Using parchment paper, press them out to about ¼ in thick.
2. Lay the sliced Gruyere over one sausage patty and place the other patty over the top of it. Using your fingers, press the edges together to gently close the patty.
3. Griddle the stuffed patty at 325°F for about 4 minutes on each side, covered with a dome lid. Flip and cover again for 4 minutes, or until it reaches 165°F internal temperature.

Ham:

1. Add the ham to the grill right after cooking the sausage patty and cook until it is browned on both sides. Keep warm until you are ready to build the sandwich.

Fried Egg:

1. Melt the butter in a nonstick pan with a lid on low heat.
2. Crack the egg into the pan so the yolk does not break. Cover the pan and cook on low heat for 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat and allow the egg to steam in the pan for another 3 to 4 minutes, until the yolk is still slightly runny.

Final Build:

1. In a bowl, whisk together the egg, cream, sugar and vanilla.
2. Dip the inside of the crown and heel of the bun in the custard and allow it to sit for a few seconds to ensure the custard soaks into the bread.
3. Griddle the cut sides at 325°F for 4 to 5 minutes, or until golden brown.
4. Ladle 1 oz Mornay Sauce on the bottom of the bun. Top it with the sausage patty, griddled ham and another 1 oz Mornay Sauce.
5. Layer on the Hot Maple Bacon, fried egg and arugula.
6. Spread the top bun with Bacon Mayo and top the sandwich.

Chef Notes

When stuffing the sausage patty, try to keep the cheese away from the edges. This will help keep the cheese contained inside the patty.

Project Management: Summit F&B
Photography: Carlos Garcia // Food Styling: Peg Blackley