Share a delicious brunch menu featuring Ham and Swiss Croissant Bake + Maple Candied Bacon.
Ham & Swiss Croissant Bake
Plus Bonus Recipe – Maple Candies Bacon
It’s Brunch time again at the Bennett’s! A quick perusal of Pinterest turned up 3 new recipes, all which turned out to be delicious. Ham and Swiss Croissant Bake, Maple Candied Bacon and Mascarpone Cream Filled Strawberries. I completed my brunch menu with a mixed green salad featuring mandarin oranges, avocado, toasted pecans and a citrus vinaigrette.
Ham and Swiss Crossaint Bake is like a strata, but made with flaky croissants instead of bread. This dish is assembled the night before in just minutes. Seriously, there couldn’t be an easier egg entrée, especially if you use a package of Hormel Cure 81 Cubed Ham (found at Cub Foods.) It’s also just the right amount of ham for the recipe. Pop the dish in the oven the next day, and in little over an hour, brunch is served!
Maple Candied Bacon is a baked, sweet and salty treat which is also very easy to make. After placing a rack on a foil lined baking sheet (a must for clean up) a brush of maple syrup and a sprinkle of brown sugar is all you need. Optionally, you can add a touch of heat with some cayenne or black pepper. I tried the black pepper and really enjoyed the counterbalance to the sweetness. Helpful Hint: the bacon will firm up as it cools, but remove it from the rack fairly quickly to prevent it from sticking.
Mascarpone Cream Filled Strawberries
Mascarpone Cream Filled Strawberries are such a pretty presentation for fruit! A combination of sweetened Mascarpone cheese and whip cream is flavored with vanilla and orange zest, then piped into strawberries. I increased the vanilla to 1/2 tsp. and skipped the vanilla bean specified in this Bobby Flay recipe. I also renamed the recipe, so don’t be confused when you click the link above and see Strawberries Filled with Clotted Cream. Same recipe!
The filling makes a lot more than required to fill 16 strawberries, so I recommend serving the rest as a dip with additional fruit. Or you could skip the piping step to make things even easier. Just pile your strawberries around a bowl of filling and enjoy. Bobby recommended serving the filled berries immediately, but who wants to be piping berries just before serving them? I made mine an hour in advance and stored them in the frig until I was ready to serve. The result looked and tasted great. This filling is also a decadent spread for scones or croissants with a dab of jam. Yummy!
Ham and Swiss Croissant Bake
Ingredients
- 3 large croissants
- 8 oz. chopped cooked ham
- 1 1/2 c. shredded Swiss cheese
- 6 eggs
- 1 c. half & half
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp honey I omitted this because I prefer a more savory egg dish
- 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- chopped parsley for garnish if desired
Instructions
- Spray 9 inch deep dish pie plate (or 9×9 baking pan) with cooking spray. Cut croissants in half lengthwise, then tear each half into 5-6 pieces. Place croissant pieces in prepared pan. Sprinkle with ham and cheese.
- In large bowl, whisk together eggs, half & half, mustard, honey, (if using), salt and pepper.
- Pour egg mixture over croissants, pressing croissants into egg mixture to moisten completely. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, but no more than 24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake, covered for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake for 25-30 minutes longer, or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before servings. Garnish with parsley if desired.
Cathy,
These recipes are right up my alley! They look really easy and I’m sure they are delicious!
Thanks for sharing!
Patty
You’re welcome. Easy and tasty are always a great combo!