Croque-Monsieur Breakfast Casserole

By Sarah Copeland

Croque-Monsieur Breakfast Casserole
Romulo Yanes for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui.
Total Time
1 hour, plus chilling and setting
Rating
4(2,268)
Comments
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This French classic needs little introduction, but if you haven’t had it in baked form, you’re in for a treat. Think upscale ham sandwiches drenched in egg custard and cheese, melted to a deep golden-brown. There are no tricks here, save for the addition of two extra yolks for maximum French-toast tenderness. Serve it warm, or at room temperature — a fitting breakfast feast that's welcome any time of the day.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings
  • 4tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan
  • 1(10- to 12-ounce) day-old or stale baguette, sliced ½ inches thick
  • 3tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 6ounces French-style or thin-sliced deli ham
  • 1½cups whole milk
  • 1½cups half-and-half or heavy cream
  • 4large eggs
  • 2egg yolks
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 3ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
  • 1ounce finely grated Parmesan cheese (packed ¼ cup)
  • Parsley, leaves torn, mustard, and cornichons, for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

403 calories; 24 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 27 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 20 grams protein; 731 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 325 degrees and generously butter a 9-by-13-inch (or 1½- to 2-quart) baking pan. Butter the slices of bread on one side and spread a thin layer of mustard on the other side. Arrange, shingled, over the bottom of the pan, buttered side up; you may not need all the bread. Drape evenly with ham.

  2. Step 2

    Whisk together milk, half-and-half, egg, egg yolks and pepper. Pour evenly over the bread and ham. Sprinkle with Gruyère and Parmesan cheeses, allowing the ham to peek out in places. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes (for the bread to sop up the milk) or up to overnight. Bake until the custard is set, and the bread and cheese are golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Remove from the oven and allow to set 20 minutes before scattering evenly with parsley. Scoop and serve warm or at room temperature, with mustard and cornichons.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
2,268 user ratings
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Comments

Theresa Nelson

Very good and leftovers are delicious. Note that the 9x13 pan is way oversized for the amount of bread indicated. Ours used about 75% of the pan without overlapping. For overlap without an empty space at the edge of the pan, I suggest using an 8x8 square glass pan.

Cpt, cook

French toast? Gruyere and Parmeggiano mixing is not recommended. Remember the German Revolution of 89? This was all about no bananas available in East Germany. Imagine if you pit Italians and Swiss against over the most important thing in their lives...cheese. Yes, the fabric of the universe will shatter and Brits will be the cooks. Sincerely, a concerned cook

Amy W.

Longtime reader, first time commenter here. This casserole has won rave reviews each of the past five times I have made it. Most recently, I added about a cup or so of well-nutmegged bechamel on top of the ham before adding the cheese. This took the dish to the next level - from amazing to stupendous. If preparing ahead of time, save this step till just before placing in oven.

Bryan B

Read through all the comments and decided to incorporate a few. Some comments suggested going heavy with the mustard, so I did half with lighter mustard and half with heavier mustard. I had my deli shave the hame really thinly. I shingled the shaved ham between the bread slices. After removing from the refrigerator and allowing it to come to room temp, I made a bèchamel sauce and drizzled it over the top before topping everything with Gruyère and Parm. Everyone loved it and agreed the section with more generous Dijon mustard was more savory and just tasted better. Also, it was even better the second day!

Cindy

Cooked one half of recipe in an 8x8 glass Pyrex brownie dish Butter-used sparingly to grease dish and spread on bread slices 7oz baguette sliced thin as directed, (had a chunk of whole grain) Dijon mustard as needed to spread bread well 3 oz thin sliced deli ham 1c 2% milk 0.5c cream 2 eggs 1 egg yolk 1.5 oz Gruyère, shredded Put together as directin brownie pan, set over night in the refrigerator. Baked at 325 for 40 minutes Cooled for 20 minutes Served with champagne! Very rich and tasty.

Mary

Meh. This wasn't that flavorful, and the texture was too liquidy (3 cups of half & half and milk to 4 eggs and 2 yolks seemed off, and it was). Based on the comments, I added lots of ground pepper, a pinch of nutmeg, and I salted the eggs AND used salted butter, but the end result was blandish and just meh. My advice? Save your good gruyere and ham for Emeril's much more flavorful quiche Lorraine recipe.

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