Although summer hasn’t ended, cooler temperatures means it’s easier to get back to cooking with heat in the kitchen.

With that in mind, this breakfast or brunch recipe provides a version of a classic sandwich that's baked instead of fried.

This recipe, developed by Chef Dez for B.C. Egg, can be prepared the night before so it can be baked in the oven in the morning and served.

Monte Cristo breakfast casserole

Ingredients

12 slices of sandwich bread
300 g ham slices
300 g Swiss or Emmentaler cheese, grated
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
6 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
8 to 16 drops Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon pepper
finely chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional

Instructions

Prepare a 9 by 13 oven safe dish with baking spray or butter.
Arrange 6 slices of the bread in the oven safe dish.
Top evenly with the ham, then 200 g of the cheese, the chopped onion, and the next 6 slices of bread.

In a bowl, mix thoroughly together the eggs, milk, Worcestershire, mustard, salt, and Tabasco.
Pour this mixture over the bread, ham, and cheese in the dish, and then sprinkle evenly with the pepper.

Top with the remaining 100 g of grated cheese.
Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, up to 12 hours, for the bread to soak up the egg mixture.

Preheat oven to 350 F (176 C) degrees.

Remove the cover from the dish and bake uncovered for approximately 35 to 40 minutes until the egg has cooked through and the top has browned.
Let stand for 5 minutes, garnish with parsley if desired and serve.