Croque Monsieur Bake
by Nigella. Featured in NIGELLA EXPRESSIntroduction
Like many good brunch recipes, this is also just the ticket for an early evening supper, the sort you eat in your dressing gown before sophisticated adults feel it is entirely proper to dine.
The joy of this is that you make up the mustardy ham and gruyere sandwiches and cover with beaten eggs the night before, and just let them sit in the fridge melding into one savoury, gooey pudding overnight. The next morning goes as follows: oven on, egg-and-bread dish in; brunch effortlessly served.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Like many good brunch recipes, this is also just the ticket for an early evening supper, the sort you eat in your dressing gown before sophisticated adults feel it is entirely proper to dine.
The joy of this is that you make up the mustardy ham and gruyere sandwiches and cover with beaten eggs the night before, and just let them sit in the fridge melding into one savoury, gooey pudding overnight. The next morning goes as follows: oven on, egg-and-bread dish in; brunch effortlessly served.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Ingredients
Serves: 4-6
- 6 slices ready-sliced multigrain brown bread
- 75 grams Dijon mustard
- 6 slices Gruyere cheese
- 3 slices ham
- 6 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon Maldon salt (or ½ teaspoon table salt)
- 80 millilitres full fat milk
- 4 tablespoons grated Gruyere cheese (or emmental or cheddar)
- 1 good sprinkling of Worcestershire sauce
- 6 slices ready-sliced multigrain brown bread
- ⅓ cup Dijon mustard
- 6 slices Gruyere cheese
- 3 slices ham
- 6 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes (or ½ teaspoon table salt)
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 4 tablespoons grated Gruyere cheese (or emmental or cheddar)
- 1 good sprinkling of Worcestershire sauce
Method
- Spread each slice of bread with mustard. Make sandwiches by putting each slice of cheese against the mustardy bread, and a slice of ham between them. Cut each sandwich in half to make two triangles.
- Squish the sandwich triangles into an ovenproof dish approx. 27 x 21cm x 6cm deep / 10½ x 8¼ inches x 2¼ inches deep.
- Beat together the eggs, salt and milk (I measure out the milk into whatever the mustard's been in for maximum flavour penetration) and then pour this over the sandwiches tightly packed in the dish.
- Cover the dish with clingfilm and leave in the fridge overnight.
- Next morning, preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/gas mark 6/400ºF. Take the dish out of the fridge and remove the clingfilm.
- Sprinkle with the grated cheese and worcestershire sauce and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
- Spread each slice of bread with mustard. Make sandwiches by putting each slice of cheese against the mustardy bread, and a slice of ham between them. Cut each sandwich in half to make two triangles.
- Squish the sandwich triangles into an ovenproof dish approx. 27 x 21cm x 6cm deep / 10½ x 8¼ inches x 2¼ inches deep.
- Beat together the eggs, salt and milk (I measure out the milk into whatever the mustard's been in for maximum flavour penetration) and then pour this over the sandwiches tightly packed in the dish.
- Cover the dish with clingfilm and leave in the fridge overnight.
- Next morning, preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/gas mark 6/400ºF. Take the dish out of the fridge and remove the clingfilm.
- Sprinkle with the grated cheese and worcestershire sauce and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
Additional Information
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
Assemble the night before and leave in the fridge until needed.
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
Assemble the night before and leave in the fridge until needed.
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Show more commentsWe had this for Christmas brunch every year at moms except we used sausages instead along with a champagne spritzer. Yum
Wonderfully easy to use and follow.....
Definitely a winner and makes breakfast so easy if you prepare everything the night before. We only had Gouda in our fridge but will make again using Gruyere.
I saw this and had to make it Did some minor tweaking with adding Muenster cheese with the sandwiches from store bought day old artisan sourdough bread due to not having enough Swiss. Cut the sandwiches and they fit in a 9x9 pan slightly greased. I poured the egg mixture, cover and placed in the refrigerator. In the morning I flipped the sandwiches to make sure everything was soaked up in the eggy mixture. In the evening, I grated extra cheese because every sandwich needs extra cheese. I baked it for the designated time and it came out beautiful! Bubbly and slightly browned! It was delicious! Thank you Nigella! This is definitely a keeper that I will be doing again very soon!
This is the best Croque Monsieur recipe ever! Perfect any time of day!
I will definitely be trying this as a quick and easy meal.
This sounds incredible and will make this for my little visitor on Wednesday. Cameron loves eggs but the rest of his own family don't so another good recipe with egg in will go down a treat. Better than the usual scrambled egg he asks for. Thanks
I've made this with pesto instead of mustard as well, a great variation :)
I tweeked this a little with what I had on hand, but the principle was still there. Delicious & easy. Thanks!!!
This is very like a Christmas-morning stratta I used to make when my child was small and the before-dawn, can-we-go-down-and-see-what-Santa-left ritual precluded the making of breakfast. It is comfort food by anyone's definition, and it's perfect anytime of year except the very warmest months on my little patch of the planet. Will try this version.
I'm trying this one for brunch tomorrow..lol
This is so delicious! We often make it up the night before and have it for dinner. A real winner!