Buttery Breakfast Casserole

Goodness! Did all you complainers bother to do the math? It's meant to be 8-10 servings. Let's go crazy and call it FIVE instead. What do you end up with in terms of calorically relevant food per person? About 1 croissant, about 3 g oil, about 2.5 oz sausage, approx an egg and a half, a good 1/2 cup of milk, 1.6 oz heavy cream, and 1.6 oz Gruyere. Health food to wolf down on my way to the squat rack? No. A delight to share with my family on our favorite morning of the year? To be sure.

This is the bomb !!! In every good sense I can think of !!!! People need to get over themselves and quit being such naughty children ! If you don't like the list of ingredients, that's your problem. Don't make it and don't criticize it. Life is too short to not savor ever single bite of deliciousness out there. And no, I do NOT weigh over 200 pounds. I believe moderation is important, including moderation....:-)

I did a practice run with sweet sausage and Swiss cheese, It is wonderful. I think the possibilities are endless. Quiche Lorraine style with bacon onion and Swiss. Mushrooms and breakfast sausage. Ham and Broccoli with cheddar, Veggie style with onion, mushroom, green pepper and fresh tomato. Thank You Melisa Clark - I Love You :)

Two suggestions: Toasting delicate croissants at 500 degrees for 5-10 minutes will result in ash. I toasted mine at 350 for 5 minutes. Second: I prepared this Friday night as the blizzard was approaching and woke up Saturday morning to no power. The casserole sat until Saturday night's dinner instead. During that time, the croissants disintegrated into nothing-ness. Still very tasty but the bread would have added nice texture. Don't prepare more than 12 hours in advance is my advice.

So delicious! Did a trial run before I had a house full of guests. Cut the room temp left overs into individual portions wrapped and froze. A month later unwrapped a frozen portion heated at 350° F. For 15 min. Still delicious!

This recipe was a hit the first time I made it for Christmas morning and every time since. I used sauteed garlic and spinach instead of sausage and it was a fantastic substitute!

What a fantastic recipe! Agreed with the comments to cut the milk down to 2 cups. I might also cut down on the top layer of cheese just a bit. We served it with hot sauce and with some fruit on the side.

I made mine around 11 PM the night before serving and it stayed nicely till the next morning around 10 AM when we put it in the oven.

While I'm not a vegetarian, I somehow have the impulse to substitute sautéed crimini mushrooms for the sausage. I also want to challenge her idea that a grainy bread won't work for this. Large rye croutons sautéed in butter, perhaps? Am I crazy? This is not about health - I just like tasting things with depth.

Melissa, please ignore the curmudgeons, but answer the query about the liquid in the photo of the finished casserole. Thank you.

I've made a very similar recipe with these changes: frozen waffles instead of croissants (toast in 350F oven til crispy & golden), maple breakfast sausage instead of Italian; cut back to 1-3/4 cups milk & add 1/4 cup maple syrup--Robust dark grade, which used to be called grade B; and sharp cheddar cheese--Cabot extra chart for preference. It's a family preference, and no wonder: delectable!

Made it as the recipe dictates minus 1 cup milk and with cheddar as well as gruyere because and it was a huge hit. Assembled completely overnight.

Also made it with oven roasted mushrooms with thyme as well as sage for a vegetarian brunch guest. Assembled the croissants and mushrooms at night and added egg dairy mixture in the morning.

Our guests loved both but the mushroom one was the favorite. Might try sausage and mushrooms together next time.

I live in Argentina and croissants are not nearly as buttery here nor did I remember the 4 hrs soak, however I actually skipped my husband's roast pig Xmas eve in order to enjoy this Christmas morn. I used leftover chorizos from the grill the night before and ham since there is no italian sausage and mozz with the Gruyère and since everyone else was full it lasted 24 blissful hours in the fridge. Best part of my holiday, oink oink.

Made it over the weekend for brunch. Followed directions to the T with the exception of cooking time. Left it in for a few extra minutes. Probably unnecessary. I do think waiting at least 10 minutes to serve is very important in having it set.

Everyone loved it. Brought some leftovers to lunch.

This was fun to make yesterday and it was just devoured by me and my family. I've tried all different versions of breakfast casseroles through the years and this is the best one yet. I think the croissants make the biggest difference with the Gruyere cheese a close second. Thanks for sharing and Happy Holidays!

This was a hit with my family and they are picky eaters. I modified the recipe based on some recommendations. I toasted the crossaints in 350° for 10 mins, I used 2lbs of sweet sausage because my boys are meat eaters. I sautéed the sausage w/ onions & garlic as well. Then I added spinach & diced tomatoes (drained) w/the sausage/crossaint mixture. I used Gouda because they didn't have Gruyere. I also cut the milk down to 2 cups. Baked it as indicated and it was fabulous!