📝 Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). This ensures that the gratin cooks evenly.
2. Prepare the milk-egg mixture
In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the milk, crème fraîche, minced garlic, salt, pepper and, if desired, a pinch of nutmeg for a fragrant touch. Mix until smooth.
3. Dip the bread
Dip the stale bread slices into this mixture, turning them several times so that they soak up the liquid well. Let them absorb the liquid for a few minutes.
4. Butter the mold
Generously butter a baking dish to prevent the bread from sticking and to give a nice golden crust on the bottom.
5. Arrange the layers
Place a first layer of soaked bread in the bottom of the gratin dish. Then, spread half of the diced ham and slices of raclette cheese on the bread. You can adjust the amount of cheese according to your taste.
6. Continue with a second layer
Add a second layer of soaked bread, followed by the remaining ham cubes and raclette cheese. Finish by pouring the remaining milk-cream-egg mixture over everything. Make sure each slice of bread is well covered to prevent it from drying out during cooking.
7. Bake
Place the dish in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the gratin is golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly. For an even more gratinated touch, you can turn on the broiler during the last 2 minutes of cooking.
8. Serve
Remove the gratin from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes before serving. Accompany this rich dish with a crunchy green salad to balance it all out.
Tips and Variations
- Bread : If you don’t have stale bread, feel free to use fresh bread that has been lightly toasted beforehand.
- Cheese : You can replace the raclette cheese with reblochon, comté or even a mixture of several cheeses for more flavor.
- Vegetarian : Replace the ham with sautéed mushrooms or grilled zucchini for a vegetarian version.
