Apple Gruyère French Toast With Red Onion Recipes

STUFFED FRENCH TOAST WITH GRUYERE, MUSTARD GREENS AND DOUBLE-SMOKED BACON

Steps:

• Whisk together the creme fraiche, mustard and hot sauce in a small bowl, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Set a medium cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, turning once, about 8 minutes. Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate, and then cut the slices into thirds.
• Add the red onions to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and starting to caramelize, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the mustard greens, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook until just starting to wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, and then transfer the greens to a bowl.
• Whisk together the eggs, egg yolk and half-and-half in a baking dish until smooth. Add the Parmesan and some salt and pepper; whisk until combined.
• Spread the bread slices with some of the creme fraiche mixture, and top with a slice of Gruyere. Top half of the slices with 3 or 4 pieces of bacon and a little mound of greens. Turn the remaining slices, cheese-side down, on top of the greens and press down to make sandwiches.
• Working in batches of two, soak the sandwiches in the egg mixture on both sides until just soaked, about 2 minutes per side.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. (If you have a skillet large enough to cook all four sandwiches at once, add all of the oil and butter now.) Add two sandwiches to the skillet, reduce the heat to medium-low, and fry until crisp, golden and cooked through on both sides, about 5 minutes per side--cover the pan if needed to help the cheese melt, and adjust the heat to prevent the French toast from burning. Repeat with the remaining oil, butter and sandwiches.
• Halve the cooked sandwiches on the diagonal and serve hot.

APPLE-GRUYèRE FRENCH TOAST WITH RED ONION

Steps:

• Place one slice of bread on kitchen counter, the bottom crust nearest you. Cut into bottom crust, parallel to counter, to make a pocket. Do not cut all the way to top of slice; bread should remain attached there. Tuck half the cheese and onion slices in pocket. Repeat with other slice.
• In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour custard into a wide, shallow dish. Soak stuffed bread in custard, turning once halfway through, until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 5 minutes.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add half the apple slices in a single layer and cook for 1 minute. Place bread slices in pan, covering apples. Arrange remaining apple slices on top of bread; cook 1 minute more.
• Reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover and increase heat to medium; cook until bottoms are golden, about 2 minutes. Carefully turn bread and apples and cook until bread is golden and cheese is melted, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve topped with fried eggs if desired.

FRENCH TOAST STUFFED WITH BACON, ONION TOMATO JAM WITH GRUYERE, AND A FRIED EGG

Steps:

• For the filling: Toss the bacon into a large saute pan with a few drops of olive oil. Bring the pan to medium heat and cook the bacon until brown and crispy, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the onion and season with salt and the crushed red pepper. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and very aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add the tomato, season with more salt, and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and mushy and most of the liquid has evaporated. Taste and reseason if needed. Stir in the oregano and let cool.
• For the French toast: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
• In a wide, flat dish, combine the eggs, milk, cayenne (if using), and a pinch of salt. Beat until smooth and homogeneous.
• Lay 4 slices of bread on a work surface. Using half the Gruyere, sprinkle each piece of bread lightly with cheese. Spoon a quarter of the bacon filling onto each piece of bread and then sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Top each slice with another piece of bread and press to secure.
• Working in batches, soak each "toast" in the egg mixture for about 1 minute; flip and soak the other side.
• While the toasts are soaking, coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring the pan to medium heat.
• Working in batches so you don't crowd the pan, cook the toasts for 2 to 3 minutes per side. The toasts should be golden brown, lovely, and crisp-YUM! Transfer the toasts to a baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm.
• For the fried eggs and assembly:
• Coat a large nonstick saute pan lightly with olive oil and bring to medium heat. Add the eggs to the pan, working in batches if necessary. Cook them until the whites are cooked through and the yolks are warm and runny, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Remove the toasts from the oven and top each with a perfectly fried egg. Sprinkle with chives if you like and serve immediately.

APPLE-GRUYERE FRENCH TOAST WITH RED ONION

Steps:

• Cut a pocket in each bread slice through the bottom crust, parallel to the cut surfaces. Do not cut through the top crust. Stuff each with half the cheese and a few onion slices.
• Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour into a wide, shallow dish. Place stuffed bread into custard. Turn over after about 2 minutes, then let stand until most of the liquid is absorbed.
• Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Place half the apples in a single layer and cook 1 minute. Place the stuffed, soaked bread on the apples and cover with the remaining apple slices. Cook 1 minute.
• Cover pan, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 5 minutes. Uncover pan, increase heat back to medium, and cook until bottom is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Carefully turn bread over and cook until golden, 3-5 minutes.

BACON-AND-APPLE QUICHE WITH FLAKY PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425 and set the rack in the middle. Combine the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse once or twice. Add the butter and process until the mixture looks like cornmeal. Put the mixture in a bowl and add the ice water; mix with your hands until you can form the dough into a ball, adding another tablespoon of ice water if necessary. Wrap the ball in plastic and freeze for 10 minutes (or refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to a couple days).
• Sprinkle a countertop with flour and put the dough on it, sprinkling more flour on top. Use a rolling pin to roll with light pressure from the center out. If the dough is hard, let it rest for a few minutes; if it's sticky, add a little flour. Roll, adding flour and rotating and turning the dough as needed; use ragged edges of dough to repair any tears, adding a drop of water when you press a patch in place.
• When the diameter of the dough is about 2 inches greater than that of a 9-inch tart pan, drape the dough over the rolling pin and transfer it into the pie plate. Press the dough firmly into the plate, all over. Once the dough is in place, trim as necessary; freeze for 10 minutes or refrigerate for 30 or so.
• Prick the pie crust with a fork all over, then bake it for 10 to 12 minutes, or until beginning to brown; remove and turn the oven down to 375. Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a large, deep skillet over medium heat, then remove from pan with a slotted spoon; cool and chop.
• Pour out all but one tablespoon of bacon fat and use the same pan to fry the apples. Add salt, pepper and rosemary. Turn the heat up to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until the apple is soft and lightly browned, at least 15 minutes. Adjust the heat so it doesn't brown too much or crisp up. Turn off the heat and spread apples onto the crust; then sprinkle with bacon and cheese.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and cream. Put the semicooked shell on a baking sheet and pour in the egg mixture. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until almost firm (it should still jiggle just a little in the middle) and lightly browned on top; reduce the oven heat if the shell's edges are darkening too quickly. Cook on a rack; serve warm.

FRENCH ONION MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. (If you're planning to bake the macaroni and cheese in a baking dish instead of a skillet, butter 9-by-13-inch baking dish or other 3-quart casserole.)
• Meanwhile, in a deep, large (12-inch) ovenproof skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, thyme sprigs and bay leaf, if using, and season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid, baking sheet or foil and cook, stirring once or twice, until the onions are softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Uncover and continue to cook on medium-high, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. If the onions look dry, add a few tablespoons of water at a time to prevent them from burning, scraping up any browned bits that are stuck to the bottom of the skillet. (You will need to do this several times.)
• While the onions are cooking, heat the oven to 450 degrees. Cook the pasta in the boiling water until 2 minutes shy of al dente; drain and set aside. Rub one side of each baguette slice with garlic.
• When the onions are a deep golden brown, discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaf and deglaze the skillet with the vinegar until evaporated, scraping up browned bits as you go, about 30 seconds. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. When melted, add the flour and cook, stirring, until the flour begins to stick to the bottom of the pan and has turned a light golden brown, about 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, whisking often.
• Reserve 1 cup of the Gruyère. Carefully add the remaining Gruyère and all the Cheddar to the caramelized onion mixture and carefully stir until melted. If your pan is big enough, add the cooked pasta and stir to combine, or combine the sauce and pasta in the prepared dish.
• Spread the pasta mixture in an even layer in the prepared dish, then top with the baguette slices, garlic-side up. Sprinkle the toasts with the reserved 1 cup Gruyère and season with pepper. Place the skillet or dish on a sheet pan and bake until bubbly and brown in spots, 10 to 15 minutes. If you like a crispier top, broil for a few minutes. Let cool slightly, then garnish with fresh thyme leaves.