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Cheese Fondue Egg Casserole

Source of Recipe

From "The Ultimate Cook Book" by Bruce Weinstein


Recipe Introduction

Here's the ultimate take on a big-crowd, holiday-favorite breakfast. You must make it the night before so that it can set up in the refrigerator before it bakes.

List of Ingredients

◦  2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus additional for greasing the baking dish
◦  1 medium onion, finely chopped
◦  12 ounces white button mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
◦  2 teaspoons stemmed thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
◦  ½ teaspoon ground allspice
◦  ½ teaspoon salt
◦  ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
◦  6 ounces Gruyère, finely grated
◦  6 ounces Emmentaler or Jarlsberg, finely grated
◦  One 12-inch loaf day-old French or Italian bread, cut into ◦  ½-inch slices
◦  ¼ cup dry white wine
◦  8 large eggs
◦  ¾ cup milk or half-and-half


Recipe

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion; sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until they give off their liquid and it evaporates to a glaze, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the thyme, allspice, salt, and pepper. Set the pan off the heat to cool for 10 minutes.

Lightly butter a 10-inch round or a 9-inch square baking dish.
Mix both cheeses in a medium bowl. Place half the bread in the baking dish, cutting the slices to cover the pan's surface completely. Brush with 2 tablespoons wine. Top with half the mushroom mixture, then half the cheese mixture.

Lay the second layer of bread slices as before over all this, brush these slices with the remaining wine, then top them with the remaining mushroom mixture. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the dish.

Whisk the eggs and milk or half-and-half in a medium bowl until smooth. Pour this mixture over the casserole. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375° F. Bake the casserole uncovered until puffed and brown, about 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before serving.


Makes 6 servings


Note:
You can double this recipe; if you do, use an 11 x 17-inch baking dish.