Manchego and chorizo toasties
The iconic croque madame crosses the border to Spain! Manchego and chorizo toasties are slathered with a smoky paprika and garlic bechamel sauce before being topped with an oozy fried egg to make what we’re calling: a Croque Señorita.
Ingreadient
- 30g unsalted butter, softened
- 4 thick slices white bread
- 2 tbsp quince paste
- 80g manchego, coarsely grated
- 8 slices chorizo
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 20g plain flour
- 100ml whole milk
- 1 tbsp finely chopped chives
- Dash vegetable oil
- 2 medium free-range eggs
Instruction
- Spread around a third of the butter on each slice of bread, then flip 2 of them over and spread with the quince paste. Top the quince paste with the cheese and chorizo slices then add the second slices to make 2 sandwiches, ensuring the buttered sides are on the outside.
- Next, make the bechamel sauce. Put the remaining butter, garlic and paprika in a small saucepan over a low-medium heat and cook until the garlic has just started to infuse into the melted butter and smells fragrant. Stir in the flour and whisk for a minute or so to cook out the floury taste. Whisk in the milk bit by bit, ensuring any lumps are whisked out before adding more. Once all the milk has been added and you have a smooth, thick sauce, stir in the chopped chives and season with salt and pepper.
- You can now cook the toasties. Put a large frying pan over a medium heat and preheat a grill to medium. Add the sandwiches to the frying pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until the bread is golden brown and the cheese has melted.
- Transfer the toasties to a baking tray and spread the garlic bechamel over the top of them. Put the toasties under the grill and cook until bubbling (about 3 minutes). Meanwhile, add a dash of oil to the same frying pan and crack in the eggs. Cook over a medium heat until the edges are crispy and the yolk is still runny. Salt the yolk, then put the eggs on top of the toasties and serve.
