Croque Monsieur Strata with Dijon Bechamel

By lorik

Makes 12 servings

Total time: about 2 hours + chilling

Ingredients

• LIGHTLY COAT:
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter + more for coating
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• WHISK:
• 3 1/2 cups whole milk, divided
• 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and cayenne pepper to taste
• 1 lb. sliced artisan-style white or country Italian bread
• (12–18 slices, about 1/2-inch thick), staled
• 1 1/2 lb. deli-sliced Virginia ham
• 12 oz. Gruyère, shredded (about 4 cups)
• WHISK:
• 8 eggs
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• Chopped fresh parsley

Details

Adapted from cuisineathome.com

Preparation

Step 1

Lightly coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter.

Melt 4 Tbsp. butter in a saucepan over medium heat until foamy. Whisk in flour and cook roux 1–2 minutes. Whisk in 2 cups milk in a thin steady stream until completely combined, then whisk in Dijon and nutmeg; season with salt and cayenne. Reduce heat to mediumlow; cook béchamel until it thickens, coats the back of a spoon, and leaves a trail that does not fill in, 4–6 minutes.

Pour one-fourth (about 1/2 cup) béchamel into bottom of prepared baking dish, then layer with one third of bread slices, half the ham, one-third (about 1 1/3 cups) Gruyère, and about 1/2 cup béchamel over top. Repeat layering one more time, then top with remaining bread slices and remaining one-fourth (about 1/2 cup) béchamel.

Whisk together eggs, remaining 11/2 cups milk, and black pepper; pour over layers in baking dish and top with remaining 1 1/3 cups Gruyère. Cover strata with plastic wrap and weigh down; chill at least 4 hours or up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 375°. Remove strata from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature, about 30 minutes; remove plastic wrap.

Bake strata until browned and bubbly and a thermometer inserted into the center registers 160°, 60–75 minutes, tenting with foil if it browns too quickly.

Let strata stand 10–15 minutes before serving and garnishing with parsley.

Per serving: 408 cal; 21g total fat (11g sat); 200mg chol; 1063mg sodium; 26g carb; 1g fiber; 28g protein