Savory Gruyère Stuffed French Toast

Although I love the sound of sweet, sugary French toast, when it comes time to make breakfast or order off of a menu, I almost always choose a savory option.  Those waffles topped with fresh berries or chocolate sound divine, as does French toast with bananas and maple syrup.  But when the waiter looks at me for my order, I always leap to something eggy or cheesy.  Evidently when it comes right down to it, I'm a salty girl.

When it came time to submit a French toast recipe to food52 (which I have written about before here and here), I knew I would go with something savory.  This version is a cheese-filled toast with hits of thyme and sage, topped with mushrooms.  It is earthy, gooey, and indulgent, everything a good weekend breakfast should be.  And it gets the whole breakfast -- eggs, cheese, toast -- into one dish.  So that I can have it in one bite.  I mean all those flavors, of course, not the whole piece of toast. 

One of the other great things about this dish is that it makes an excellent breakfast-for-dinner.  Even though it takes longer than a typical breakfast does to prepare, it makes a quick dinner.  Quick enough to make and eat before you dash off to a Spring concert, if you should have one of those on the horizon.

And those waffles with chocolate sauce certainly would make an excellent dessert.

Savory Gruyère Stuffed French Toast

Serves 6
20 minutes preparation time
15 minutes cooking time
 
1 tablespoon butter, plus more for frying
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 pound crimini mushrooms, sliced
3 garlic cloves smashed and peeled
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
a few grinds of fresh pepper
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
2 tablespoons port or sherry
1 loaf unsliced challah bread
3/4 pound Gruyère, sliced
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon minced sage
 
Heat the butter and canola oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic. Turn the mushrooms but let them sit for a minute or two between stirs so that they brown. Sauté until they are tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes.  Add the thyme, port, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and some pepper and cook for another minute until the liquid has thickened.  If you don't like the strong taste of garlic, remove the cloves from the pan. (If you're like me, leave them in for added zing).  et aside.
 
While the mushrooms are cooking, prepare the bread. Cut the loaf into 1-inch thick slices.  Cut each slice again in the same direction, leaving one end intact (see photo). Lay a few slices of Gruyère inside the bread in a single layer. 
 
Mix the eggs, milk, sage, remaining salt and a few more grinds of pepper in a large shallow bowl or baking dish. Add the bread slices and let them sit for about 2 minutes on one side. Check the bread a few times while it is soaking. It should soak through, but you don't want it to get too soft or it will fall apart as you lift it. Turn and let the bread sit for about another 2 minutes on the other side. Both sides should be completely covered in the egg mixture.  
 
Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat and add enough butter to generously coat the pan.  Cook the French toast until it is golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes on each side. Resist the temptation to turn the heat up to cook it faster because patience will get you a melted cheese center.
 
Serve 1 slice on each plate topped with mushrooms. Pass the extras at the table.

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Comments

[Nikki]

I'm pretty sure Pete is going to fall in love with this recipe (and you!). I'll let you know.

[Jan (Family Bites)]

Oh yum! This looks incredible :)

[Sarah]

Nothing wrong with being a salty girl!!!

Yum!

[Derek]

The flavors are good, but it's hard to get them cooked all the way through on a griddle after soaking so long. I opted to use as shallow a dish as possible (egg mix ~1/4" deep) and soak for about 45 seconds each side.

I feel like a baked version of this dish would be equally awesome and maybe even easier to cook.

Thanks for the recipe!

[Margy]

Derek, the bread soaking is definitely a bit tricky. I have found that even with challahs, the length of time that the bread can soak varies. I'll have to give the baked idea a try.