This is a recipe from my grandmother Ruth that I love for its simplicity. It is nothing more than a ham and cheese sandwich over which you pour some beaten eggs and milk, let it soak, and then bake. (I confess that I dressed it up a bit by adding the ham, and that my son Sam insists I should have added even more.) Any flavorful sliced melting cheese and any flavorful pork product—cooked bacon, pancetta, prosciutto, or good old-fashioned country ham—would work here. This dish can serve as a great light lunch or supper or—because it requires so little prep—as the main attraction at a brunch for a bunch of friends.
Serves 4
8 slices homemade-style white bread, 3 to 4 inches square, crusts removed
1/2 pound thinly sliced cheese (Munster, provolone, fontina, or Gruyère)
2 ounces prosciutto or boiled ham, thinly sliced (optional)
3 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Lightly butter an 8-inch square baking dish and arrange 4 slices of the bread flat on the bottom. Cover each with equal amounts of cheese and the ham, if desired. Top with the remaining bread.
Beat the eggs lightly in a small bowl and pour in the milk. Season with the salt and blend well. Pour over the sandwiches, cover, and refrigerate 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Bake the sandwiches, uncovered, until lightly browned around the edges and set in the center, 40 to 45 minutes. Serve hot.
I’m so thrilled that you are having a marathon on the Create channel today! I think you are just adorable and I have since I first saw you in Julia’s cookbook, Julia Child and More Company, circa 1979, for heaven’s sake!
Thank you Ivy!!
I came across this recipe today . . .or rather I found a newspaper article about the Cheese Sandwich but I only have the ingredients with no instructions as to how to make it. Can you send me the instructions? If not, I guess I will have to wing it.
Mary Ann,
I believe they are included in this recipe.
I am going to double the recipe for Cheese Sandwich Souffle to serve for a group of friends. So simple!