Anna Olson Makes a Croque Monsieur Bake! | Oh Yum
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.
For more fall favourites and holiday bakes, check out our full Anna's Fall Favourites playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGW0ponJ7cL1zNtCOQGDi8B6NknzBmKlV
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• Recipe Information •
**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.
Serves 8 to 10
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
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
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. 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.
3. 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.)
4. 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.
5. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the béchamel sauce.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. After the croque monsieur has baked for 45 minutes, increase the oven temperature to 400°F (200°C).
9. 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.
10. Let the bread pudding cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Spoon onto plates and serve warm.
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#OhYum #CroqueMonsieurBake
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.
For more fall favourites and holiday bakes, check out our full Anna's Fall Favourites playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGW0ponJ7cL1zNtCOQGDi8B6NknzBmKlV
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• Recipe Information •
**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.
Serves 8 to 10
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
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
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. 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.
3. 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.)
4. 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.
5. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the béchamel sauce.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. After the croque monsieur has baked for 45 minutes, increase the oven temperature to 400°F (200°C).
9. 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.
10. Let the bread pudding cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Spoon onto plates and serve warm.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subscribe for more video recipes: http://goo.gl/MJV4af
Shop Anna Olson Cookbooks:
- http://lickst.at/shopannaolson
- Follow Anna on social media:
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/chefannaolson
Twitter: https://twitter.com/olson_anna
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chefannaolson
Instagram: https://instagram.com/chefannaolson
Anna's Official Website: http://annaolson.ca
- Follow Oh Yum on...
Facebook: https://facebook.com/ohyumfood
Instagram: https://instagram.com/ohyumfood
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/ohyumfood
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ohyum_food
Official Oh Yum Website: https://ohyum.tv
#OhYum #CroqueMonsieurBake
