By Melissa Clark
- Total Time
- About 30 minutes
- Rating
- 4(342)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Light and fluffy, here the bread takes on a soft, cakelike texture from its custard bath, which is a nice foil to the sharp cheese, savory onions and caramelized apple. I wouldn’t go so far as to say this sandwich could replace latkes on Hanukkah. But it sure makes a nice alternative that I could see making all year long.
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Ingredients
Yield:2 servings
- 21¾-inch-thick slices challah bread from middle of loaf
- 3ounces grated Gruyère cheese (about ¾ cup)
- ¼small red onion, very thinly sliced
- 2large eggs, lightly beaten
- ¾cup whole milk
- ¼teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1small apple, cored, quartered and very thinly sliced
- Fried eggs, for serving, optional
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)
645 calories; 43 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 19 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 14 grams sugars; 31 grams protein; 806 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Place one slice of bread on kitchen counter, the bottom crust nearest you. Cut into bottom crust, parallel to counter, to make a pocket. Do not cut all the way to top of slice; bread should remain attached there. Tuck half the cheese and onion slices in pocket. Repeat with other slice.
Step
2
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour custard into a wide, shallow dish. Soak stuffed bread in custard, turning once halfway through, until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 5 minutes.
Step
3
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add half the apple slices in a single layer and cook for 1 minute. Place bread slices in pan, covering apples. Arrange remaining apple slices on top of bread; cook 1 minute more.
Step
4
Reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover and increase heat to medium; cook until bottoms are golden, about 2 minutes. Carefully turn bread and apples and cook until bread is golden and cheese is melted, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve topped with fried eggs if desired.
Ratings
4
out of 5
342
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Cooking Notes
Michael in YVR
The (fairly thick -- 1-3/4") slice is on the counter on its large cut side, with the bottom crust closest to you. You poke a knife in through the bottom crust and cut accross the interior of the slice, parallel to the counter, creating a pocket that stretches almost all the way to the top crust.
bluerroses
Think of it as butterflying the bread. Make a book like shape of each slice: cut through slices sideways, so they open out into a book with the top crust as the spine of the book.
Ashley
Sorry...don't compute??? Place one slice of bread on kitchen counter, the bottom crust nearest you. Cut into bottom crust, parallel to counter, to make a pocket. Do not cut all the way to top of slice; bread should remain attached there. Tuck half the cheese and onion slices in pocket. Repeat with other slice. Can someone describe this cut differently...please
Sam
Very tasty. Added some thyme and oregano to the batter, and sauteed the onions prior to pocketing them in the toast. Hold some cheese back and put it on top of the apples before placing the bread on top to hold the cheese on and get dark and crunchy. Your house will smell amazing.
manysummits
To Ashley: You're basically cutting a pita pocket out of the slice of bread.
Brandon
Bread really has to be thick and evenly sliced, one of mine sprung a leak bc my pocket wasn't quite parallel. as well the apples must be thin, used a large one so I thought I could spare but didn't have enough to cover the tops of both. nonetheless, delicious. topped with blackberry and a little powdered sugar. new fave french toast recipe!
Bill F.
Since when is gruyere "sharp"?
juleezee
Brioche or any egg bread.
Elizabeth
This was very good. Bread slices need to be quite thick, but perhaps not as much as 1.75 inches. Also, used regular white loaf bread with no difficulty. Would like to try with sourdough.
Sam
This is one of my favorite recipes, and it makes the house smell amazing. It needs a few small things:Stuff in rosemary or oregano in your pocket, and add some to the batter as well.Follow the suggestion to save half the cheese for the outside of the bread. Before placing the bread on the cooking apples, sprinkle about 1-2 T on top, then add the bread. Add another 1-2 T on top of the top of the bread, then put the remaining apples on top. They stick better and you get gooey cheesy crust.
Sam
Half the cheese goes in one slice, half goes in the other.
ivy
This is yummy! I would say a poached egg on top or something with a sauce would really help take this to another level.
gJ
This was delicious. Worth the additional effort
Hannah
I would say you don’t really need the salt and pepper but some thyme would be good.
Mister Mustard
While making this The Rutles classic song "Cheese and Onions" came to mind.
how
Cut like pita pocket
Nancy
perhaps convert this to an overnight savory french toast like ®ion=Recently%20Viewed&rank=1? sauce the apple and onion in butter, stuff it into the cuts an pour over custard and cheese, then bake the whole thing. Sounds a lot easier and could feed a crowd.
Susan Larcombe
The apples burnt terribly when I made this - it was still delicious! They are from our tree and I can’t figure out if they were just a little dry and the addition of a tbsp of cooking liquid (or fresher apples) might prevent it next time?
Beth
This was just okay. I was really excited about the flavors but it was lacking for me.
Amy
Absolutely delicious. We fried the apple separately to get an even crust all over. You can also sub out the apple for sliced pickle.
add the apples at the end!
Cooking the apples first then adding the bread in the cast iron burnt them to a crisp before the toast even cooked. Ended up removing the burnt apples from one side, putting that side down, then finishing in the oven.
Joanne
Overall I liked the flavor. Next time, though, I'll saute the onion before stuffing it into the bread so it doesn't come out as so raw. Some crunch is nice, but not that degree of rawness.
susan
Fabulous! Will lightly sauté the onions next time
susan
Killer delicious. Next time will lightly sauté the onions beforehand. Large pieces so split in half before serving
K Thompson
I'm thinking with the problems noted in comments, take the items and adapt / convert to a strata...
Anna
A little tricky to keep apples from sticking to the pan. Brioche bread; sauteed onions before putting into bread. Served at brunch with Aley and Doug and Nayathara.
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