One thing I can always get behind is a themed event with food as the focal point. A red, white and blue summer barbecue? I’m there. A fall supper built around all things pumpkin? Yes please. And the Olympics? Held in Paris no less? Time to pop the bubbly. Which is exactly why this Croque Madame French Toast Casserole was born.
The Idea Behind The Recipe
It all started when I was talking food with Tracie, a former chef turned massage therapy phenom, who is helping me rehab a cranky hamstring. As I lay on the table, wincing under her capable hands, I told her I was hatching plans for a French-themed Olympic gathering. ”Oh”, she said, “You should try this French toast I make.” She then proceeded to share in riveting detail her savory spin on a breakfast favorite — soaking croissants in eggs and cream, layering them with cheese and ham, and pouring more cream over the top.
Sounds incredible, I thought, but a few degrees past my comfort zone for decadence. So, I set to taking Tracie’s terrific idea and spinning it into a version of my own.
What Exactly, Is a Croque Madame?
A croque madame is a variation on the classic French sandwich, the croque monsieur. It’s basically a hot ham and cheese topped with a fried egg. The variations on the idea are endless and the combination of flavors remains forever fabulous.
How to Make Croque Madame French Toast
This oh-so-French french toast starts with a whole loaf of batard, which is a crusty, oval-shaped bread from France. You cut the loaf into slices and soak them in beaten milk and eggs embellished with Dijon mustard. From there, tuck thinly sliced ham, grated Gruyère cheese, and arugula between all the slices (arugula is not remotely traditional, but I couldn’t help myself). A little more cheese goes on top and then it goes into the oven until brown and crispy.
Tips for Getting it Right
I consider this a fairly forgiving recipe, in part because it’s hard to go wrong with ham, cheese, and eggs. That said, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- If you can’t find batard, you can use another type of crusty bread, such as levain, Italian bread, or even baguette. You will have to be flexible with how you slice and arrange the bread. If using baguette, for example, you will make a few rows of bread slices in a pan instead of a single row.
- You can be flexible with the type of pan you use depending on the bread and what you have on hand. I used a 7×9-inch casserole, which fits a batard perfectly (with the ends trimmed off just a bit). An oval pan would do or, if you are making this with levain, you could use a round cake pan.
- You want the bread nicely saturated with the beaten eggs. If you run out of the egg mixture along the way, just whisk up an extra egg or two with a big splash of milk and more salt and pepper.
Make it Ahead
One upside to this casserole is that it can be prepped the night before, making it ideal for entertaining. Simply assemble everything, wrap it tightly in plastic, and refrigerate. In the morning, remove the plastic and pop it in the oven. As it bakes, your kitchen will fill with the aroma of melting cheese and baking bread. Yum!
To me, this dish screams brunch. That said, it’s suitable for lunch or dinner. It’s also excellent as a leftover, reheated in a toaster oven. For side dishes, keep it simple and pair with a big leafy salad dressed with a classic vinaigrette like this one. As for what to drink, it IS French, and we ARE talking about the Olympics, so I say, pop open the Champagne.
For more brunch inspo, check out:
Mediterranean Egg and Spinach Strata
Blueberry Pecan Baked Oatmeal Cups
Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
To see how this recipe comes together, check out this video on Instagram
Croque Madame French Toast Casserole
This takes a classic French sandwich, the Croque Madame, and turns it into a savory breakfast casserole. It’s a pretty smashing dish to look at, will make your kitchen smell incredible (thank you Gruyère!) and is excellent paired with a simple green salad with, what else, a French vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- Olive oil for greasing the pan
- 1 pound loaf of batard or other oval shaped crusty bread
- 10 eggs
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 handfuls arugula
- 8 ounces coarsely grated Gruyère cheese
- 8 ounces thinly sliced ham
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
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Pull out a casserole dish that is about 7 x 9-inches. An oval-shaped pan that’s 9 or 10 inches long would work, too. Lightly grease the pan with olive oil.
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Cut as much off the 2 long ends of the bread as is needed for it to just fit in the pan. Cut the bread into ½-inch-thick slices, trying to keep the bread in the order it was cut.
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In a large shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, Dijon, salt, and a generous shower of black pepper.
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Taking 3 or so slices at a time, immerse the bread in the egg mixture, fairly aggressively dunking it on all sides so it’s saturated. Transfer to the baking pan so the slices are standing upright as they would in a loaf of sandwich bread. Repeat with the remaining bread, lining them up in the pan. You should have a little more of the egg batter left when you are finished soaking the slices, which you should set aside.
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Tuck a piece of ham between each slice of bread with a bit poking out the top. Divide it up so the ham is evenly distributed among the slices.
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Set aside about ¼ cup of the cheese. Tuck the rest of the cheese between the slices of bread. Do the same with the arugula, so there is a bit of greenery between each slice.
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Pour the remainder of the egg mixture over the casserole. Scatter the remaining ¼ cup of cheese over the top.
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Bake until the outside is nice and crusty with the inside tender and any egg that has spilled to the edges firm, about 35 minutes.
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Rest for about 10 minutes and serve in slices.
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