Black Forest Ham & Gruyere French Toast

Is there anything better than Sunday brunch? The answer is yes.  Yes, because nobody honestly likes worrying about making food before they've had a big cup of coffee...or three.  And by nobody, I mean me.  I adore breakfast food.  I adore brunch altogether.  But let's be real - going out for brunch gets expensive.  Last night when facing this dilemma it hit me: why not make brunch for dinner?  Shall I call it brinch? Or brinner? I'm going with drunch. 

My inspiration for tonight's drunch came to me after my engagement photo session with my FIANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Yes, Chris and I got engaged since my last post.  I'm sorry it's been so long.  I've been dealing with recovering from foot surgery, various other ailments, and starting my final year of law school.  It's been a little hectic. Anyways.

During yesterday's photo shoot, Chris and I did this little "picnic" session, and had this random loaf of olive bread from Trader Joe's afterwards.  It was getting stale quickly, and rather than toss it, I realized it would be perfect if I soaked it French toast style.  Then I got to wondering how that would work with olive bread, and I realized the only thing holding me back was what I was used to eating.  I've never had a savory French toast before.  I figured I'd leave it on the counter over night to dry out, and would work out my concept over my three cups of coffee.

I ended up preparing a ham and cheese variant French toast.  It's first soaked in a batter that includes white wine, a bay leaf, and tarragon, is fried on the skillet, then placed on a baking sheet and covered in layers of thinly sliced apple and red onion, black forest ham, and shredded gruyere.  I then baked it in the oven for 10 minutes to soften the apples and onion slices, and get that cheese to bubbly, melty goodness. 

I chose to plate this with blanched asparagus spears and bearnaise sauce, although the toast really is good enough to eat all by itself. 

 

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf day-old, unsliced bread (I used olive)
• 6 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 tsp. tarragon
• 1/4 tsp. ground mustard
• 1 tbsp. melted unsalted butter
• 4 oz. thinly sliced black forest ham
• 4 oz. finely shredded gruyere cheese
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and thinly sliced in to 1/2" inch wide strips
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced in to rings

Directions:

1.  Slice your loaf of bread pieces just over 1" thick.  Slice each piece in half.  Place in a single layer in a 13"x9" baking dish.  In a small mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, wine, salt, pepper, bay leaf, tarragon, ground mustard, and melted butter.  Whisk until well combined.  Pour the egg mixture over the bread.  Cover and refrigerate half an hour.

2.  While the bread soaks, peel and slice your apple so that it is in very thin strips.  Cut them so that they are about 1/2" wide.  Thinly slice your onion and separate the rings.  **You may find it easier when layering the French toast to have the onion rings sliced in half.  Shred the cheese and tear the ham in to pieces large enough to form a single layer on the bread.

3.  Preheat your oven to 350 F.  Lightly coat a large skillet with non-stick spray (butter flavor, if available).  Heat on medium until hot.  Pull the bread from the fridge and place in a single layer in the hot skillet for about 3 minutes.  While that cooks, coat a rimmed baking sheet with non-stick spray.  Flip the bread in the skillet and allow the other side to cook for an additional 3 minutes.  Transfer to the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining slices of bread.

 

 

4.  Begin layering your bread on the baking sheet.  First add the apple, then the onion, then the ham, and top with the cheese.  Place in the oven and bake on the middle rack for 8-10 minutes, until the cheese begins to bubble slightly and the ham begins to get a little crispy around the edges.  Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. 

5.  Serve with blanched asparagus, bearnaise sauce, and a glass of chardonnay if desired.  Enjoy!!

Blanching Vegetables

Here's a quick and easy way to prepare vegetables without oil or all those extra calories.  Use vegetables that are typically crunchy and in a single piece, like green beans, asparagus, or carrots. 

Directions:

1.  In a large pot, bring lightly salted water to a boil (like if you're going to cook spaghetti). 
2.  Once the water is boiling, add your desired about of vegetables for 3-5 minutes, just until tender.
3.  Pour the vegetables out in to a colander and let drain.  Serve warm.

Bearnaise Sauce

This bearnaise sauce is a great accompaniment to fish, poultry, and egg dishes.  It's similar to a hollandaise, but without the lemon and WITH the addition of wine, vinegar, and savory herbs. 

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 tbsp. finely minced shallots (substitute red or green onions, if desired)
• 1/2 tbsp. dried tarragon
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• Pinch of salt
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp. cold butter, divided
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• Additional 1/2 tbsp. dried tarragon

Directions:

1.  In a small saucepan, boil the vinegar, wine, onions, herbs, and seasonings over medium heat until reduced to about 2 tbsp of liquid.  Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl

.
2.  With a hand mixer in a small bowl, beat the eggs until they become thick and creamy.  They will appear light in color.  Transfer the eggs to the small saucepan, strain the vinegar mixture in to the eggs, and beat until well mixed.  Over low heat, add the first tbsp. of butter.  Using a wire whisk, mix the butter by hand so that it melts and begins to thicken.  Add the second tbsp and continue to whisk and thicken.  Slowly add the melted butter, one tbsp. at a time.  **Be careful not to add too much too soon or it may curdle.  It may also curdle if the heat is too high.**  Once all the butter is incorporated, continue whisking until the sauce is nice and creamy.  Remove from heat.  Stir in the extra tarragon.
3.  Add as desired to your fish, poultry, or egg dish.  Enjoy!