BLT Pain Perdu Casserole
Why make 10 sandwiches when you can make one delicious casserole?
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Recipe Summary
We love a good casserole for multiple reasons. Our BLT Pain Perdu Casserole takes that to heart and is designed to maximize comfort and ease. This casserole delivers the flavors of a perfect BLT sandwich in the form of a savory bread pudding that can feed several people at once. Because this dish tastes best slightly warm instead of piping hot, it tolerates being assembled in one spot and perhaps baked and served in another. It holds its form for a few hours, and individual portions reheat well.
The BLT Pain Perdu Casserole is a great recipe for a brunch or lunch gathering. Serve it alongside a fresh green salad with a light dressing to balance out the richness. A custard mixture of eggs, half-and-half, tomato paste, multiple spices adds an abundance of flavor. The recipe calls for sitting for at least 8 hours, and this step is key to make sure all the flavors soak in. Another surprise in this casserole which take the BLT flavors over the top? Gruyere cheese. While not a typical ingredient you find in a BLT sandwich, it adds so much savoriness. The top bread layer of the BLT Pain Perdu Casserole doesn't fully submerge in the custard mixture, so it remains crispy. With its soft bottom layer and the semi-crispy top layer, you've got the perfect bite.