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Course: Breakfast

French Toast Croque Monsieur

ACTIVE TIME: 20 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 12 hours 25 minutes
Yield: 2 -4 people
Photo by Lynne Calamia
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  • 4 slices challah bread, 3/4-inch thick
  • 1 cup half and half
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons honey, warmed in the microwave for 15 seconds
  • 4 ounces Black Forest ham, julienned
  • 4 ounces gruyere cheese, shredded
  • 3 cups cornflakes cereal, crushed with your hands
  • 2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • Orange Thyme Syrup, for serving

Specialized Hardware

small sheet pan fitted with wire rack
12-inch saute pan
oven with broiler setting
ACTIVE TIME: 20 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 12 hours 25 minutes
Yield: 2 -4 people

Procedure

  • The night before you'd like to serve, dry out the challah and make the custard.
  • For the challah, Lay the slices on a small sheet pan fitted with a wire rack, cover loosely with a clean tea towel and leave at room temperature overnight to dry out.
  • For the custard: Whisk the half and half, eggs, honey, and salt in a medium size bowl. Pour into an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to cook.
  • When ready to cook, situate your oven rack to the second highest position and crank the broiler setting to high. Combine the ham and cheese in a medium bowl and stash nearby your cooktop.
  • Pour the custard mixture into a shallow vessel (a pie plate works well). Retrieve your drying challah and dip each slice in the custard mixture for 30 seconds per side, laying them back on the wire rack as you go. Allow them to rest there for a few minutes.
  • Pour the crushed cornflakes into another shallow vessel. Place a soaked slice of challah into the cornflakes, pressing lightly to allow the cornflakes to adhere. Flip the slice over and coat the other side then return the fully coated slice back to the wire rack to rest while you repeat the process with remaining slices.
  • Heat a 12-inch saute pan over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and swirl the pan to melt. Once the butter has melted and the foaming has subsided, add all the slices of French toast to the pan and cook for 2 minutes or until the bottoms of the bread are golden brown. If the pan looks dry, add a little bit more butter. Flip the slices over and kill the heat.
  • Evenly cover the cooked side of the toast (now facing up) with the ham and cheese mixture and place under the broiler for 2 minutes, until bubbling and melted.
  • Serve immediately on plates topped with a generous drizzle of Orange Thyme Syrup.
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