Croque Monsieur Bake

Name: Croque Monsieur Bake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: Bread Pudding:; 1/4 cup (60 g) butter; 1 clove garlic, minced; 12 thick slices day-old French bread; 1 ¼ cups (135 g) coarsely grated old Cheddar cheese; 1 ¼ cups (135 g) coarsely grated Gruyère cheese; 1 1/2 cups (240 g) diced cooked ham; 1/4 cup (60 mL) grainy mustard; 4 large eggs; 2 1/2 cups (825 mL) 2% milk; 1 cup (250 mL) half-&-half cream; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper; Béchamel:; 2 Tbsp (30 g) butter; 2 Tbsp (17 g) all-purpose flour; 1 cup (250 mL) 2% milk; 1/2 tsp fine sea salt; 1/4 tsp black pepper; 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg; 1 cup (110 g) coarsely grated Cheddar and Gruyère cheese

Made by Anna Olson

by Book Recipe December 13, 2021

written by Book Recipe December 13, 2021

Croque Monsieur Bake is on the menu in Book recipe, and we are going to teach you how to make this delicious recipe from scratch!

This savoury bread pudding, also called a strata, is a great way to use up leftover ham!

The basis of this bake, a Croque monsieur, is a French version of a grilled ham and cheese sandwich—but the sandwich is topped with a béchamel sauce, sprinkled with cheese, and broiled. This bread pudding, made of assembled ham and cheese sandwiches, has the same finishing feature.

Follow along with the 📝 recipes below👇🏾👇🏾

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Croque Monsieur Bake

Rating: 5.0/5
( 1 voted )

Serves: 10 Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 1 Hour 1 Hour Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

Bread Pudding:

1/4 cup (60 g) butter
1 clove garlic, minced
12 thick slices day-old French bread
1 ¼ cups (135 g) coarsely grated old Cheddar cheese
1 ¼ cups (135 g) coarsely grated Gruyère cheese
1 1/2 cups (240 g) diced cooked ham
1/4 cup (60 mL) grainy mustard
4 large eggs
2 1/2 cups (825 mL) 2% milk
1 cup (250 mL) half-&-half cream
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Béchamel:

2 Tbsp (30 g) butter
2 Tbsp (17 g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (250 mL) 2% milk
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup (110 g) coarsely grated Cheddar and Gruyère cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Prepare the pan. For the bread pudding, melt the butter with the garlic and brush it over the bottom and sides of a 12-cup (3 L) casserole dish. Brush any remaining garlic butter onto the slices of bread.
Assemble the sandwiches. Toss the cheeses, ham and mustard together. Arrange 6 of the bread slices on a work surface and spoon the ham mixture over them. Cover with the remaining bread slices, making sandwiches. Depending on the size of your dish (and the bread), you may want to cut the sandwiches in half. Arrange them in the casserole dish (they can overlap a bit.)
Make the custard. Whisk the eggs and then whisk in the milk and cream, salt and pepper until evenly combined. Pour over the sandwiches and press them down with a spatula to encourage the bread to soak up the liquid.
Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the béchamel sauce.
Make the béchamel. Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan and stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. Continue to cook, stirring continuously, for about 3 minutes until the mixture smells slightly nutty but has not changed colour.
Add a third of the milk and whisk until smooth (it will thicken up quickly). Whisk in the remaining milk and the cream and add the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Whisk until the sauce thickens and begins to bubble, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat until ready to use.
After the croque monsieur has baked for 45 minutes, increase the oven temperature to 400°F (200°C).
Spoon the béchamel sauce evenly over the sandwiches, spreading it if needed. Sprinkle the top with the grated cheese and bake for 15 minutes, until the cheese has browned and the pudding is bubbling and puffy at the edges.
Let the bread pudding cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Spoon onto plates and serve warm.

Notes

Make Ahead Note: You can assemble the bread pudding, without the béchamel, the day before you wish to bake it, adding about 20 minutes to the bake time to compensate the chill. Refrigerate it, covered, overnight. You can also refrigerate the béchamel sauce in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat over medium heat, stirring often, for about 8 minutes to soften it before spreading it over the pudding.

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