Fall means leaning into using your oven to create kitchen masterpieces at all times of the day. If you're like me, weekend mornings are a bit lazy and very decadent. Therefore, grabbing my cast iron skillet and filling it with tender sliced croissants, a flavorful egg custard, and fresh berries, baking it until it's gloriously set and smelling of everything good in the world, and serving it to my family is just what I need.
Now, the base of this casserole can be tweaked to work with both sweet and savory versions. This one is obviously sweet and perfect when crowned with blueberries, but try raspberries, chopped apples or pears, or even lightly sugared cranberries! For a savory version, skip the extract and cinnamon and toss in a teaspoon or two of your favorite seasoned salt. Then add chopped vegetables, ham (or cooked bacon or sausage), and shredded cheese. However you put it together, you'll love this go to dish for entertaining or any weekend treat. And, of course, it's a great vehicle for leftovers and breakfast for dinner ideas.
A bit of fresh fruit salad, some muffins or scones, or even a light green salad (especially if you've aimed for a savory version) are all perfect accompaniments to this fun morning main dish. Keep the coffee, tea, and juice flowing and toast to the cleverness that is using a good 'ol cast iron skillet to make mornings shine. Enjoy!
Cast Iron Croissant Bake
- 2-3 teaspoons coconut oil
- 4 croissants, frozen and sliced into 1" (ish) strips
- 4 eggs
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or bourbon vanilla bean paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 6-8 ounces fresh blueberries
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Rub the bottom and sides of a standard 10.25" cast iron pan with coconut oil; set aside.
Slice the frozen croissants (you can do this without frozen croissants, but it's so much easier to do when they are frozen!) into long strips, each about an inch wide and arrange around the bottom of the prepared cast iron pan. I like to leave them more or less in the shape of whole croissants and use the last one's strips to fill in any gaps.
Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk with the heavy cream, vanilla extract or paste, and cinnamon. Pour the mixture evenly over the croissants, pressing it all down lightly to encourage the egg mixture to soak into the pastry. Sprinkle the top of the casserole evenly with fresh blueberries.
Place the cast iron in the middle of the preheated oven and bake for about 35-45 minutes depending on how you want your eggs set. Remove and serve immediately with maple syrup and additional blueberries, if desired.
- Yields: 6 servings
- Preparation Time: 50-60 minutes