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Vegetarian, Northern, Eastern and Western France

Savory Comté French toast with salad

Savory Comté French toast is country bread soaked in an egg, milk and nutmeg batter, then browned in butter and melted under Comté cheese, served with a green salad. It serves 4 in 30 minutes, very easy difficulty, for €1.30 per person. The key is day old bread and a very short soaking time.

Tonight, we're giving bread a second life with savory Comté French toast, golden, crisp and melty.

Savory Comté French toast with salad
Total time
30 min
Difficulty
Very easy
Cost per person
€1.30
Calories per person
590 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
The kids
They generally like it

Savory Comté French toast flips the script on the sweet version you grew up with. There's no sugar here, just an egg and milk batter spiked with nutmeg that soaks into slices of country bread before they turn golden in the pan. The Comté melts on top under a lid, and what you get keeps that contrast that makes the dish worth making, crisp outside, melty inside, with a cheesy pull that turns this into dinner rather than dessert.

This is the recipe for a weeknight when you have some stale bread and not much else in the fridge. Mon Chou suggests it for those easy dinners where kids eat without complaining and nobody spends more than 30 minutes at the stove. The salad brings just enough freshness so the plate doesn't feel too heavy.

The ingredients

4 people

Bakery

  • Day old country bread 8 slices

Dairy

  • Eggs 4
  • Milk 30 cl
  • Grated Comté 120 g
  • Butter 40 g

Pantry

  • Nutmegoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Olive oiloften in the pantry 3 tbsp
  • Wine vinegaroften in the pantry 1 tbsp
  • Mustardoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Fruits and vegetables

  • Green salad 1

Allergens Gluten, Lactose, Eggs, Mustard

The step by step recipe

  1. Whisk the eggs with the milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a shallow dish.

    Season generously with pepper, savory French toast likes a bit of kick.

  2. Dip the bread slices on both sides, just a few seconds.

    Don't let them soak too long, they'll fall apart in the pan.

  3. Melt some of the butter and brown the slices over medium heat. 8 min

    Flip them with a wide spatula so they keep their shape.

  4. Sprinkle with Comté, cover the pan and let it melt. 3 min

    The lid traps the heat, so the cheese melts without needing the oven.

  5. Make the dressing, toss the salad and serve the slices while hot.

    A touch of mustard in the dressing wakes up the cheese.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick slices that are fairly thick, about half an inch, so they hold together while cooking instead of turning mushy.
  • Heat the pan to medium before adding the bread, too high a heat will burn the outside before the inside warms through.
  • Grate the Comté yourself rather than using pre shredded cheese, it melts better and tastes stronger.

The variations

  • Swap the Comté for Swiss or Gruyère if that's what you have on hand, it stays just as melty.
  • This recipe is already vegetarian, it contains no meat or fish.
  • For kids in a hurry, cut the slices into triangles before dipping them, they cook a bit faster and work well as dippers.

What to serve it with

  • A vegetable soup starter
  • Fresh fruit for dessert
  • A glass of apple juice

Storage

Savory French toast keeps for 2 days in the fridge in a sealed container. It doesn't freeze well, the bread loses its texture once thawed. Reheat it in a pan for a few minutes per side rather than in the microwave, to keep it crisp.

Questions about this dish

What bread should you use for savory French toast?

Day old country bread works great, it soaks up the batter without falling apart. Skip sandwich bread, it's too soft and turns mushy fast when cooked.

Can you make the batter ahead of time?

Yes, you can whisk the eggs, milk and nutmeg the night before and keep it in the fridge. Only dip the bread right before cooking, not earlier.

Can you use a different cheese instead of Comté?

Yes, Swiss cheese, Gruyère or a young cantal all work well. Pick a cheese that melts easily and has enough flavor to carry the dish.

How do you keep the French toast from falling apart while cooking?

Don't soak the bread too long in the batter, a few seconds per side is enough. Flip the slices with a wide spatula rather than a fork so they keep their shape.

How long does it take to make a savory Comté French toast with salad?

Count 30 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “very easy”.

How many calories are in a savory Comté French toast with salad?

About 590 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a savory Comté French toast with salad cost?

About €1.30 per serving, or €5.20 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten, lactose, eggs, mustard. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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