One Cheese Sandwich, Baked and Fried

The other day, a young women who lives in my neighborhood said, “Have a good day.” I replied, “Cook a good supper.”

I didn’t know I was going to say this. But it made some sense, considering that I have no way of controlling whether I have a good day. A good day is a gift, an ordinary day is fine and a bad day is aggravating.

But a good supper ... that’s something you can control. I’ve been pro-home cooking all my life. This recipe is a good example of how simple a supper dish can be, and it certainly beats standing in line to buy takeout food.

All you need to serve with this Italian Cheese Custard Sandwich is a cold, crisp lettuce salad.

Italian Cheese Custard Sandwich

Active Work Time: 10 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 45 minutes * Vegetarian

6 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons butter, divided

8 (1/2-inch-thick) slices white bread, crusts cut off

2 cups grated Fontina cheese

Mix the eggs, milk, salt, pepper and Parmesan in a bowl until well blended. Set aside.

Grease an 8-inch square baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter.

Place 4 of the bread slices in the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle the Fontina cheese evenly over the bread. Place the remaining slices of bread on top. Pour the custard batter over the sandwiches. Cover with wax paper or plastic wrap and let stand for at least 15 minutes.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake uncovered until the sandwiches are puffed and lightly golden, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and keep warm.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove the sandwiches from the baking dish with a spatula and place in the pan. Cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes a side. Cut the sandwiches in half and serve hot.

4 sandwiches. Each sandwich: 718 calories; 1,107 mg sodium; 425 mg cholesterol; 41 grams fat; 23 grams saturated fat; 48 grams carbohydrates; 37 grams protein; 1.43 grams fiber.

Table runner from Lavender Blue, Los Angeles.