Croque Madame Bake

A comforting French-style baked strata with brioche, diced ham, and Swiss Gruyère cheese, topped with baked eggs and served with crisp summer melon.

• Prep: 15 min
• Cook: 25 min
• Total: 40 min
• Servings: 3
• Cuisine: French
• Difficulty: Easy

Dietary

• Nut-Free
• High-Protein
• Low-Sodium

Tags

• bake
• comfort food
• kid-friendly
• rich
• savory
• sweet

Ingredients

• 6 cup brioche bread (cut into 1-inch cubes)
• 8 ounce cooked ham (diced)
• 1.5 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 0.5 teaspoon kosher salt
• 0.25 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 cup cantaloupe melon (cubed)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease an 8x11-inch baking dish.
2. Arrange cubed brioche bread, diced ham, and 1 cup of the shredded Gruyère cheese evenly in the prepared baking dish.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 of the large eggs, whole milk, Dijon mustard, kosher salt, and black pepper. Pour evenly over the bread mixture.
4. Make 3 shallow indentations in the top of the soaked bread. Crack the remaining 3 large eggs directly into each indentation and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup shredded Gruyère cheese around the eggs.
5. Bake for 23 minutes until golden brown, bubbling, and the egg whites are firm and fully set.
6. Let stand for 3 minutes before slicing. Portion into plates and serve with chilled, sweet cantaloupe melon cubes.

Notes

Using slightly dry or day-old brioche allows the bread to soak up the custard without becoming soggy.

Nutrition (per serving)

• Calories: 530
• Protein: 36.2 g
• Carbohydrates: 42.1 g
• Fat: 24.5 g
• Fiber: 2.5 g
• Sodium: 495 mg
• Saturated Fat: 10.8 g
• Sugar: 12.4 g
• Cholesterol: 315 mg