This Croque Madame Is Just the Right Amount of Decadent

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This Croque Madame Is Just the Right Amount of Decadent

This is not your average ham and cheese sandwich. This tower of decadence is the embodiment of French joie de vivre, and the ultimate comfort food.

The croque madame is not your average ham and cheese sandwich. This tower of decadence is the embodiment of French joie de vivre, and the ultimate comfort food you wish your mother made you while you were growing up, if only you grew up in France.

She's soft and toasty and gooey, and everything right in the world. Two thick slices of bread bookend melted Gruyère and layer of salty ham. Then a creamy coating of béchamel, and even more cheese is added on top of the bread, surrounding the sandwich. And just for good measure, the yolk of a lightly fried egg drips over the whole thing.

It'll make you forget your hangover, satiate your munchies, and make all your problems vanish—at least until you finish inhaling it.

And if there's anybody who knows how to take the croque madame to the next level, it's Kris Morningstar, who dishes out French-inspired food at Terrine in Los Angeles. His version calls for thick-cut country loaf–traditionalists be damned–and is even cheesier and more decadent than one you'd find in Paris.

RECIPE: Croque madame

Goodbye, hangover. Hello, food coma.