Recipe Zone: Decadent Croque Madame croissant bake

Lydia Vernon – one of the creators behind the wildly popular TikTok account Caught Snackin’ (@caughtsnackin) – knows better than anyone the pain of capturing the perfect cheese pull on camera.

For those not familiar with the term, a ‘cheese pull’ is when the ooey-gooiness of cheese is perfectly stretched out and filmed for a food video on social media. It is commonly seen in dishes such as toasties and pizza.

The hashtag #cheesepull has 980M views on TikTok. “I’ve burnt myself on numerous occasions trying to nail the perfect cheese pull,” laughs Vernon. “Well, I have nailed it – just not without burning myself!”

Vernon, 33, is a video-retoucher-turned-chef, and you can see her recipes (and cheese pulls) on Caught Snackin’s social media pages.

Originally started by three colleagues at a creative agency in April 2020, Caught Snackin’ now has 2.3M followers and 42.4M likes on TikTok. It is said to be the UK’s fastest-growing food channel.

“We were all stuck inside during lockdown, and we thought, let’s play around,” Vernon remembers. “I decided to make a Pot Noodle video, as I wanted to do something that was a British staple.

“The recipe was based on my love for ramen noodles, which in Korea are made with cheese and ham, among other things.

“I edited the video to Dizzee Rascal – and that was the first viral video we ever made.”

Caught Snackin’ immediately found its voice.

“British artists, British staples, that’s how we got the brand,” Vernon says.

“Caught Snackin’ is very much the identity of being British and fun.”

Vernon credits a lot of Caught Snackin’s success to its authenticity. Its videos – and now also a new self-titled cookbook – are peppered with slang, and have an upbeat, informal tone. Equally important is having “a lot of fun doing it”, Vernon adds.

Vernon says you can impress your friends with the following decadent brunch dish.

If you love the classic croque madame sandwich, this version using croissants will take things up a notch.

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Croque Madame Croissant Bake

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

4 croissants

4 thick slices of honey-roast ham

100g grated Cheddar cheese

6 eggs

20ml double cream

100ml whole milk

¼tsp salt

¼tsp cracked black pepper

Knob of salted butter

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Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.

2. Slice the croissants in half and fill with the ham and half the cheese. Arrange the filled croissants on a baking tray with a shallow lip.

3. Lightly beat two of the eggs in a medium-sized bowl, then stir in the double cream, whole milk, remaining Cheddar and salt and pepper.

4. Pour the egg mixture over the croissants and bake for 12 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

5. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry the remaining four eggs.

6. Remove the croissant bake from the oven and serve straight away, with each portion topped with a crispy fried egg.

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W Caught Snackin’: 100 recipes. Simple. Fast. Flavoursome. is published by Hamlyn, priced £20. Photography by Louise Hagger.