Croque madame breakfast sandwich on brioche, with harissa and a steamed egg patty

Whisk the bread flour, sugar, kosher salt and instant yeast together.

Warm the milk and water to about 103F and knead them into the dry mix.

Once the dough comes together into a semi-smooth mass, add the room temperature butter one small piece at a time, letting each piece incorporate before the next.

Knead until the dough passes the windowpane test and can be stretched into a taut ball without the surface tearing.

Butter a bowl, put the dough in and proof under a moist towel at least an hour. Turning the oven light on for 20 to 25 minutes gives an environment in the mid 80s.

Once doubled, divide the dough into 10 pieces and roll each into a tight taut bun.

Spray the buns with non-stick spray, cover with cloths and proof again.

For the harissa, stem and seed the chiles de arbol, guajillo, pasilla and ancho chilies and break them into one-inch pieces so they toast evenly and rehydrate faster.

Toast the chilies over medium low heat, keeping them moving and taking care not to overheat them, or they turn bitter and acrid.

Add the garlic cloves, cumin seed and caraway seed.

Add just enough water to cover, bring to a simmer, kill the heat, cover and steep 30 minutes to rehydrate the peppers.

For the egg patty, blend eight to nine eggs with half a cup of heavy cream and half a teaspoon of salt, without over-blending or the foam shows on top.

Pour into a buttered non-stick pan and cook in a steam oven at 200F at 100 percent humidity about 20 minutes, until set, light and springy.

Brush the buns with egg wash and bake until the internal temperature reads 209.

Blend the steeped chilies in a food processor with the jarred roasted red peppers, the juice of half a lemon, almost a teaspoon of kosher salt and a little oil; taste and add the juice of the other half.

For the bechamel, melt three tablespoons of butter, stir in three tablespoons of flour to a roux that flows a little but keeps its shape, then add three cups of milk a splash at a time, whisking out the lumps.

Cook two to three minutes over medium to medium-low until it thickens to the consistency of a very thick heavy cream.

Off the heat, let it cool about 30 seconds, then fold in the Gruyere, cover and rest two to three minutes.

Spread the bechamel out on a non-stick pan under plastic wrap so it does not skin, and cool it completely until it can be scraped up and spread.

Build the sandwich with harissa on the bottom bun, the black forest ham, the egg patty with cheese on top, and bechamel spread over the egg to insulate it from the heat.

Broil on high, watching closely, because once the bechamel or the cheese starts to brown it goes from perfect to burnt in fifteen seconds.