French Toast Croque Madame Casserole Recipes

THE BEST FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• For the casserole: Trim the ends from 1 loaf day-old brioche (about 1 pound) and cut into ten 1-inch thick slices. Cut each slice in half diagonally to make two triangles from each piece. (If the bread is fresh, dry it out a bit. Place the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees F for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.)
• Whisk together the eggs, cream, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl until well blended. Dip each triangle of bread in the custard, lightly coating each side. Shingle the pieces in the prepared pan, overlapping slightly.
• Pour any remaining custard over the bread slices. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or up to overnight.
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator and let rest 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature before baking. Remove the plastic wrap and bake until the casserole is golden and puffed and the custard is set, 45 to 50 minutes.
• For the topping: bring the butter, sugar and syrup to a boil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until the butter is melted and the mixture is begins to thicken, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla, a pinch of salt, and the walnuts, stirring to coat. Turn off the heat and add the sliced bananas, stirring to coat evenly. Spoon the desired amount of the banana-syrup mixture over the casserole and serve any additional on the side.

CROQUE MADAME CASSEROLE WITH HAM AND GRUYèRE

Steps:

• Arrange racks in top and middle of oven; preheat to 375°F. If bread is not a day old or still feels moist, arrange slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake, flipping once, until dry to the touch but not toasted, 5-10 minutes. Using a 2" ring or cookie cutter or sharp paring knife, cut a hole in the center of 6 bread slices. Trim bread to fit in 2 even layers in a 13x9" baking dish, with the whole slices on the bottom and the slices with holes on the top, forming 6 sandwiches. Remove from dish.
• Melt butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until butter foams then subsides (make sure it doesn't brown), and mixture is light gold and thickened, about 3 minutes. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, whisking, until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, 4-6 minutes. Reduce heat to very low. Whisk in nutmeg, 3/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper into the Béchamel sauce. Whisk in 1 cup Gruyère a handful at a time, making sure cheese is melted before adding more. (Béchamel with cheese added is technically called a Mornay sauce.) You should have about 3 1/2 cups of sauce.
• Spread one-third of the Béchamel in the dish. Arrange 6 whole slices of bread in a single layer in dish. Spread Dijon evenly on bread. Top each with 2 slices of ham, folding to fit on bread if necessary.
• Spread another third of the Béchamel over ham. Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup Gruyère. Place 6 bread slices with holes on top to form 6 sandwiches. Spread remaining Béchamel over sandwiches; sprinkle with 1 cup Gruyère (avoid holes to save room for eggs).
• Crack 1 egg into each hole. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Gruyère. Season with remaining 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.
• Spray a large piece of foil with nonstick spray. Place foil, oiled side down, over baking dish, crimping to seal. Bake on middle rack for 20 minutes. Remove foil, increase oven temperature to 400°F, transfer dish to top rack, and bake until egg whites are just barely set and yolks are still runny (eggs will continue to cook slightly when removed from oven), 8-12 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

FRENCH TOAST CROQUE MADAME CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 375 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9- by 13-inch flameproof baking dish.
• Lay 6 slices of the bread in a single layer on the bottom of the baking dish (trim if needed). Sprinkle 2 heaping tablespoons of the gruyere on top of each slice. Then top each with 2 slices of the ham, folding the ham if needed to fit on top of the bread. Place the remaining 6 slices of bread on top of the of the ham to form 6 sandwiches. Sprinkle the remaining gruyere on top and on the sides of the sandwiches. Set aside.
• Whisk together 4 of the eggs, the half-and-half, cinnamon, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large mixing bowl. Pour on top of the sandwiches. Use your hands to lightly press the sandwiches down into the custard.
• Spray a large piece of foil with nonstick spray. Place the foil, sprayed-side down, on top of the baking dish, crimping the sides of the foil around the dish. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the custard is set but still slightly jiggly, about 10 minutes. Switch the oven to broil and broil until the top is light golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Allow the casserole to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Crack 3 eggs into the pan (it's ok if they stick together) and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until the whites start to set, 2 to 3 minutes, and then cover and continue cooking until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny, 1 to 2 minutes. Place each on top of a sandwich. Repeat with the remaining 3 eggs.
• Use a metal spatula to remove a sandwich with egg from the casserole and place on a serving plate. Serve with warm maple syrup for drizzling.

CROQUE MADAME CASSEROLE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 9 x 13 baking dish.
• 2. Melt 6tbl butter in large skillet over low heat until bubbling. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk and cook until thick and bubbling, 3-5 min. Whisk in mustard, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
• 3. Pour a thin layer of the sauce into the prepared baking dish and cover with 6 slices of bread, then slices of meat and an even layer of grated cheese. Repeat the layers once more then pour sauce over to cover all. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cut into 6 equal pieces, leaving them in pan.
• 4. Working in 2 batches, melt 1tbl butter in large skillet over med-high heat. Crack 3 eggs into skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook until whites are nearly set, about 3 min. Carefully flip the eggs and continue cooking until whites are completely set, about 1 min more. You're going to top each portion of casserole with a fried egg. Repeat with remaining 3 eggs and 1tbl butter. Top with reserved grated cheese and return to oven for a few minutes until cheese melts.

CROQUE-MONSIEUR BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees and generously butter a 9-by-13-inch (or 1 1/2- 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.
• 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.
• 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.