Sandwiches & Burgers French

French-Toasted Ham & Gruyère

Brioche is dipped in a lightly sweetened egg-and-milk custard, pan-fried like French toast, then topped with Dijon, ham and Gruyère and broiled until bubbling. It sits somewhere between breakfast, lunch and a decision you will defend enthusiastically.

French-Toasted Ham & Gruyère

What It Is

This is a savoury French-toast sandwich with ham, Dijon and Gruyère. The bread is first cooked as French toast, then finished open-faced under the broiler.

Origin

French toast-like dishes are much older than modern France and appear in historical European cooking. In France, pain perdu means 'lost bread.' This ham-and-Gruyère version is a modern savoury adaptation.

Fun Fact

Pain perdu traditionally gave stale bread a second life by soaking it in an egg-and-milk mixture before cooking. Culinary recycling existed long before anyone called it upcycling.

Prep
15 min
Cook
10 min
Temp
Skillet medium heat; broiler to finish
Total
25 min
Servings
4 open-faced sandwich portions
(assuming no one present is secretly a moose)
Difficulty
moderate
Nut-Free High-Protein
Diet
Nut-Free, High-Protein
Away Mission
160 min walk
(or 12 minutes arguing with a Klingon about honour)
#brunch #french-inspired #french-toast #gruyere #ham #sandwich

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • Pinch kosher salt
  • Pinch freshly ground nutmeg
  • Clarified butter, for the pan
  • 4 thick slices brioche
  • Dijon mustard, to taste
  • 12 very thin slices ham
  • 1 cup finely grated Gruyère cheese

Steps

  1. Whisk eggs, milk, sugar, salt and nutmeg in a shallow bowl.
  2. Heat enough clarified butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat to coat the pan.
  3. Dip brioche in the egg mixture for about 15 seconds per side.
  4. Cook about 2 minutes per side, until golden. Transfer to a rack.
  5. Heat the broiler.
  6. Spread each warm French-toast slice with Dijon.
  7. Top each with ham and Gruyère.
  8. Place on a baking sheet and broil about 2 minutes, watching closely, until cheese is melted and bubbling.
  9. Serve warm.

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Notes

The source labels the recipe gluten-free despite specifying brioche. It is only gluten-free if gluten-free bread is used.

Nutrition Facts
Per 1 open-faced sandwich portion
Calories 720
Burning this off: one Tragically Hip song, played loud, on a treadmill.
% Daily Value*
Fat 38.0 g 51%
Saturated + Trans 21 g 105%**
Cholesterol 270 mg
Sodium 4600 mg 200%**
Carbohydrate 43.0 g
Fibre 3.5 g 13%
Sugars 8.0 g 8%
Protein 48.0 g
Potassium 500 mg 11%
Calcium 780 mg 60%
Iron 4.1 mg 23%
*5% or less is a little, 15% or more is a lot. Sodium levels calculated in a country with universal healthcare — and it's free, so don't worry about it too much.
**This dish means well. Some numbers above are having a bit of a moment. Delicious? Absolutely. A daily habit? Let's not. Eat it, enjoy it, then maybe take the stairs.

Substitutions

Use gluten-free bread if needed. Replace Gruyère with Swiss or Emmental. Use turkey instead of ham. Reduce or omit sugar in the custard for a more savoury version.

Storage

Best eaten immediately. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days and reheat in the oven.

Freezing

Not recommended assembled. Cooked French-toast slices can be frozen separately.