Stuff day-old croissants with ham and Gruyère, and bake into savory custard for a brunch casserole with croque monsieur vibes.
Ingredients
- 14 ounces gruyère cheese, divided
- 13 (4 1/2-inch) day-old mini croissants, split
- 8 ounces deli-sliced ham
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups half and half
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh chives
- freshly ground black pepper, for garnish
Instruction
- Shred 10 ounces of the Gruyère and cube remaining 4 ounces into 1/2-inch pieces; cover cubed Gruyère and refrigerate until ready to use. Butter a 3-quart baking dish and set aside.
- Tear ham slices in half and drape each half onto bottom halves of croissants. Sprinkle ham with about 2 tablespoons of the Gruyère. (Reserve remaining Gruyère (about 2/3 cup) for top of casserole). Place remaining croissant halves on top of Gruyère to make croissant sandwiches. Halve each sandwich crosswise and place in casserole dish, alternating cut-sides up and point-ends up.
- Whisk together eggs, half and half, dijon, salt, and thyme in a large bowl and pour over croissants. Cover with aluminum foil and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour (Alternatively, cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to overnight. Let sit at room temperature 30 minutes before proceeding).
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Place cubed Gruyère randomly between soaked croissants and sprinkle evenly with remaining shredded Gruyère.
- Bake casserole, covered, for 40 minutes; uncover and bake until golden brown, set, and cheese has started to brown, 10 to 15 minutes more. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Garnish with chives and black pepper and serve.
