Eleven ingredients and an hour and five minutes, of which twenty-five are waiting: fifteen for the custard to soak in and ten for the finished dish to set before it is cut.
Day-old croissants are already slightly dry, which is exactly what a custard needs. They are torn by hand into large pieces so the layers inside them stay visible in the baked slice.
Why This Recipe Works
- Day-old croissants absorb custard instead of dissolving into it.
- Tearing rather than cutting preserves the laminated layers that a knife would compress.
- Dotting the cream cheese in small pieces leaves pockets of it through the dish rather than a single layer.
- Lemon zest in the custard lifts what would otherwise be a very rich mixture.
- Ten minutes of rest before cutting is what lets a thick slice hold together.
Ingredient Notes
- Day-old croissants
- Six large, torn into large pieces. Day-old for absorbency, torn for the layers, large so the pieces are still recognisable in a slice.
- Cream cheese
- Eight ounces, softened and dotted in small pieces rather than spread. That is what gives the pockets of thick cheese through the finished dish.
- Fresh blueberries
- A cup and a half, scattered whole. They stay whole through the bake and are visible in every slice.
- Lemon zest
- A teaspoon in the custard. Small, and the only thing cutting through four eggs, a cup and a half of milk and half a cup of cream.
How to Make It
Oven on, dish buttered
Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
Croissants, berries, cheese
Scatter croissant pieces and blueberries in the dish; dot with small pieces of cream cheese.
Whisk the custard
Whisk eggs, milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, and salt.
Pour, press, wait fifteen
Pour custard evenly over the croissants and press gently. Rest 15 minutes.
Bake to 165F
Bake 40 to 45 minutes until puffed, browned, and 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the center.
Rest, then thick slices
Rest 10 minutes before cutting thick slices; dust lightly with powdered sugar if desired.
Four Instructions That Are Easy to Read Past
This recipe uses four small words that most readers skim: torn, dot, gently, and rest. Each of them decides something visible in the finished slice.
Step 2 - TORN, not cut
6 day-old croissants pulled apart by hand into large pieces.
A croissant is laminated - dozens of layers of pastry and butter - and those layers are part of what you should still see. A knife compresses them; tearing opens them, and large pieces keep them recognisable after 45 minutes under custard.
Step 2 - DOTTED, not spread
8 oz of softened cream cheese in small pieces across the dish.
Dotted, the cheese stays as thick pockets through the casserole. Spread as a layer, it would melt into the custard and there would be nothing to find in a slice.
Step 4 - pressed GENTLY, then 15 minutes
Enough pressure to wet every piece; not enough to flatten them.
4 eggs with 1 1/2 cups milk and 1/2 cup cream have to get INTO day-old pastry, and fifteen minutes is what does it. Pressing hard would achieve the soaking and destroy the layers in the same movement.
Steps 5 and 6 - 165F, then 10 minutes
At least 165F in the centre, then rested before the knife.
This is a custard, so the bake is judged by temperature. The rest afterwards is what lets a thick slice come out whole instead of slumping - the same reason a quiche is not cut hot.
Success Tips
- Tear the croissants by hand rather than cutting them.
- Press gently after pouring — enough to submerge, not enough to flatten the pieces.
- Check the centre with a thermometer; puffed and browned on top can still be loose underneath.
Serving Ideas
Eight thick slices onto white plates, each showing the laminated croissant layers, whole blueberries and the thick cream-cheese custard, dusted lightly with powdered sugar if you want it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this need a temperature?
It is an egg-based casserole, so it is baked until the centre reaches at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Can I cut the croissants instead of tearing them?
Tearing is what keeps the laminated layers open, and those layers are a defining part of what a slice of this looks like.
Do the croissants have to be day-old?
That is what this recipe calls for. Fresh croissants are too soft to take up a custard without going to paste.
