April Fools and Breakfast Casserole
Yes, April Fools Day was on Monday. And it’s now Thursday. I think. (It is Thursday, right?) I’m not really sure, it’s been a strange couple of weeks. Which makes this title fit just fine. I’ve been exhausted all week. And inordinately clumsy (which is saying something). And I seem to be writing in short awkward sentences that start with “and.” And over using (parenthesis) and italics. Maybe I partied a little too hard this weekend (okay, I definitely partied a little too hard this weekend). Or maybe it’s the change in seasons (I’m convinced Spring is trying to make an appearance). Regardless, I’ve been just a tad “off”. But really, this post is supposed to be about a breakfast casserole.
Yes. That, photo is taken with an iPhone. And yes, said breakfast casserole is on a paper plate. And yes! That is a knee and some feet in the background. (Yes, I am the worst food blogger ever!) But I made said casserole for an April Fools themed birthday breakfast (“April Fools, we didn’t really forget your March birthday!”) so we’ll have to work with what we’ve got.
Monte Cristo Breakfast Casserole
This recipe makes a large casserole, it will feed from 10-15 people easily. It should be easy to scale down the size, just divide everything in 1/2 for a single family.
- One dozen large eggs
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus a few tablespoons to garnish
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon vanilla, divided
- 2 loaves of crusty french bread… a little stale is preferable
- 1 lb sliced smoked turkey
- 1 lb sliced Swiss cheese (I actually used Muenster, because I don’t care for Swiss)
- 1 lb sliced honey ham
- 1/2 cup strawberry jam
- 1/2 apple sauce (I used unsweetened)
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- In a large bowl, combine eggs, cream, cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla, and powdered sugar. Mix on high until frothy and set aside.
- Place slices of bread in a 9″ x 13″ baking dish. Cover with one half the egg mixture.
- Layer with sliced turkey, sliced cheese, and sliced ham. Top with the remaining bread.
- Add remaining egg mixture. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10-15 minutes until golden and crispy.
- While the casserole is cooking, prepare the strawberry topping. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add jam, applesauce and vanilla and cook until the pectin in the jams begin to break down, stirring regularly. Bring to a boil to thicken, and remove from heat.
- Drizzle strawberry topping over baked casserole and serve!
