Strata? Breakfast casserole?
Strata? Breakfast casserole?
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Strata? Breakfast casserole?
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Post #1 - August 4th, 2006, 7:50 pmSo...i have a brunch to go to on Sunday and I want to take some sort of cheese-y, savory, casserole-y thing to take to share with the group. I've looked on the web of course but since nothing has really struck me as amazing I thought I'd turn to my fellow LTH'ers to see if anyone would be willing to share one of their personal faves.
I will have one vegetarian to consider -- but i may do version a with meat and version a without meat...
Any ideas?
Many thanks!!!
Shannon
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Post #2 - August 4th, 2006, 8:42 pmI don't really have a recipe for this, but it's a great way to clean out the fridge. Any combination of cheeses and veggies that strikes your fancy works well.
Take a large casserole, butter.
Line with stale bread (french or white - crusts on or off, crusty is more rustic.)
Cover with cooked veggies - blanched green beans, grilled zucchini, roasted red onions, grilled tomatoes - you get the idea. Sprinkle some strong cheese - a tangy goat, a little bleu, or a fontinella.
In large bowl, whip up 6 - 12 eggs with some whole milk or half n half.
Season generously with salt, fresh ground pepper and snipped herbs.
Pour over the bread.
Top with some parmesan or sharp cheddar.
Bake at 375 for an hour or so. (It will puff up and get golden brown)
Let cool, it will fall. Slice and serve!
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Post #3 - August 4th, 2006, 9:23 pmAdmittedly there's a little bit of a learning curve in terms of the technique of flipping them and all that, but a Spanish torta is delicious, travels well, and allows for a lot of variation in ingredients.Watch Sky Full of Bacon, the Chicago food HD podcast!
New episode: Soil, Corn, Cows and Cheese
Watch the Reader's James Beard Award-winning Key Ingredient here.
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Post #4 - August 4th, 2006, 9:37 pmThis may be one of those situations where it's worth signing up for the Cooks Illustrated website. There's a whole article on breakfast strata, with multiple recipes and very detailed procedures for assembling the strata and weighting it down to sit overnight. I highly recommend the spinach and gruyere. One distinctive note I hadn't seen elsewhere was the addition of half a cup of dry white wine. It really made a difference.
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Post #5 - August 4th, 2006, 9:48 pmHi,
If you have access to Saveur of October, 2004, there is a Breakfast Casserole recipe in the Ole Miss Tailgating article.
Regards,Cathy2
"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast
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Post #6 - August 5th, 2006, 6:35 amI made this goat cheese & smoked ham strata several months ago and it was phenomenal...
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/4513
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Post #7 - August 5th, 2006, 10:19 amI want to second Ann's recommendation of the Cook's Illustrated article on strata, esp. the spinach and gruyere. The overnight weighting makes an impressive difference in the density and egg-thoroughness of the recipe. It's a striking breakfast, with all the important food groups: eggs, cheese, bread. :^)
GeoSooo, you like wine and are looking for something good to read? Maybe *this* will do the trick!
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Post #8 - August 5th, 2006, 2:32 pmDefinitely make sure to let it sit, even if only a few hours, before cooking. Things will still float up to the top.
Easy and simple - I made this a week ago for a group and it was very tasty. Leftovers are good toasted
Rip up 6 slices bread (I used Brownberry white)
1 lb sausage, browned
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
8 beaten eggs
2 cups whole milk
seasoning to taste w/salt and pepper
butter 9x13 baking pan, put bread chunks in, then sausage, cheese shreds, eggs - let sit, overnight is best, bake @ 325 for 45-50 mins.
Alternatively, use a layer of sauteed veggies instead of sausage, or leave out and just have bread, cheese and eggs (if you do this, add some dried herbs for interest)Leek
SAVING ONE DOG may not change the world,
but it CHANGES THE WORLD for that one dog.
American Brittany Rescue always needs foster homes. Please think about helping that one dog. http://www.americanbrittanyrescue.org
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Post #9 - August 6th, 2006, 7:58 amHey everybody -- brunch is in a few hours and my strata is in my fridge -where it's been saturating up its eggy custardy goodness all night.
I followed your advice and joined the Cook's Illustrated website -- i took their method instrux and applied to a recipe I found on the all recipes web site that asked for more flavoring in the eggs (mustard, worstershire, etc). My only concern at this point is that I didn't have stale bread -- I dried it out a little and I'm concerned I cut it too thick BUT...we'll see when the hoards get at it in a few hours.
I did add some chicken sausage as a layer on top of cheese -- sundried tomato/basil. If it had been up to only me..it would be pure savory pork sausage but I like everyone to be able to eat what I bring.
Thanks for all your suggestions -- I'll let you know how it turns out.
Shannon
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Post #10 - January 16th, 2008, 3:08 pmleek wrote:Definitely make sure to let it sit, even if only a few hours, before cooking. Things will still float up to the top.
Easy and simple - I made this a week ago for a group and it was very tasty. Leftovers are good toasted
Rip up 6 slices bread (I used Brownberry white)
1 lb sausage, browned
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
8 beaten eggs
2 cups whole milk
seasoning to taste w/salt and pepper
butter 9x13 baking pan, put bread chunks in, then sausage, cheese shreds, eggs - let sit, overnight is best, bake @ 325 for 45-50 mins.
Alternatively, use a layer of sauteed veggies instead of sausage, or leave out and just have bread, cheese and eggs (if you do this, add some dried herbs for interest)
hey leek,
How many servings does this make??"Skin that smoke wagon and see what happens..."
- Wyatt Earp, Tombstone
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Post #11 - January 16th, 2008, 3:29 pmThis is an old standby in my household:
Brunch Eggs Ole
1/2 cup Flour
1 tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp. Salt
10 Eggs
1 lb. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups Cottage cheese, small curd
1/2 cup melted Butter
4 oz. chili peppers, drained and chopped
Salsa (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix the flour,
baking powder and salt in a bowl or processor. Add eggs and mix until light and pale yellow. Add cheeses and
butter. Beat until blended. Stir in the peppers. Pour
mixture into greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake the casserole for 35 minutes
or until the top is brown.
To serve, spoon salsa over cut casserole
squares.
Serves 8 to 10.Reading is a right. Censorship is not.
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Post #12 - January 16th, 2008, 7:04 pmthe sleeve wrote:leek wrote:butter 9x13 baking pan
hey leek,
How many servings does this make??
Hmm. I don't know exactly, but it filled a 9x13 pan. Let's see, maybe 6-8 depending on how hungry your crowd is?Leek
SAVING ONE DOG may not change the world,
but it CHANGES THE WORLD for that one dog.
American Brittany Rescue always needs foster homes. Please think about helping that one dog. http://www.americanbrittanyrescue.org
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Post #13 - January 16th, 2008, 8:43 pmSince this thread has been resurrected, I'll put in my bid for the Food Desert Clafouti, which everyone agreed would have made an excellent breakfast had it not been devoured for dessert. (I'd use all cranberries instead of the cranberry/sultana mix.) One of my cookbooks has a French Toast Strata using cream cheese and cinnamon...maybe adding apples?
Or you could turn the idea it on its head and do a cream cheese and smoked fish Strata, with capers and red onion.
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Post #14 - January 16th, 2008, 9:20 pmInteresting question about the number of servings, even though you might think that a 9X13 pan would have a fixed number of breakfast strata servings. I made the spinach and Gruyere strata again last weekend. For a 9X 13 pan I used a dozen eggs and an entire loaf of bread (compare to Leek's six slices of bread and 8 eggs). Perhaps not surprisingly, it turned out to be at least twelve generous servings.
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Post #15 - January 18th, 2008, 12:47 amThis is a favorite among my family members and has become my "signature" brunch dish. Very easy and quite yummy, I've had the recipe for years and years. This version was shared with friends on an unrelated site a long time ago, they're not cooks.
sujormik wrote:French Toast Strata
Assemble this easy dish several hours ahead or the night before so it has time to chill and set up.
1 1-pound loaf un-sliced French bread
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, cubed
8 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk, light cream or half and half
6 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted
1/4 cup maple syrup or maple flavor syrup
Cider Syrup
* Cut French bread into cubes. You should have about 12 cups bread cubes.
* Grease a 3-quart rectangular baking dish (note, I use a 9x13 Pyrex pan). Place half of the bread cubes in the dish. Top with cream cheese cubes and remaining bread cubes.
*Combine eggs; milk melted butter and maple syrup in a blender container or a mixing bowl. Process or beat with a rotary beater until well combined. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread and cheese cubes. Using a spatula, slightly press layers down to moisten. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours (I usually refrigerate it overnight).
* Remove plastic wrap from baking dis. Bake, uncovered, in a 325 (f) oven for 35-40 minutes or till the center appears set and the edges are lightly golden. Let stand about 10 minutes before serving. Serve with Cider Syrup (optional, it is tasty though).
Recipe says it makes 6-8 servings, I'd say more if it is one of several items, like on a brunch buffet.
Cider Syrup
1/2 cup sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup apple cider or apple juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons margarine or butter.
*Combine sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Stir in apple cider or juice and lemon juice.
*Cook and stir the mixture over medium heat till thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more.
*Remove saucepan from heat and stir in butter till melted. Makes about 1 1/3 cups.
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Post #16 - January 18th, 2008, 6:04 pmThere's another Strata thread with recipes, too.
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Post #17 - January 21st, 2008, 11:35 amSujormik, THANK YOU for your recipe with the maple syrup in the custard!
I cut your recipe right in half and used a square glass pyrex baking dish. I used torn up challah leftover from a Chanukah party. I had a big Ziploc bag of challah pieces in the freezer and every time I stumbled across them I thought “strata!”
I assembled the mixture late the night before. The next morning, I just pulled the pan from the fridge and popped it into the oven. It came out puffy and buttery.
While it was baking, I made fresh ground coffee,
Fresh squeezed orange juice,
Wonderful thick-cut bacon from the butcher. Look at the meat to fat ratio on these lovely slices!
What a way to go on a weekend morning. We had enough for two hungry people with leftovers for Monday morning.
I did not make the syrup this time but I will next time.
I printed out the other recipes on this thread and will post results as we try them. Thanks, all! --Joy
Schmeissers Home Made Sausage
Niles, IL 60714
847-967-8995
