STRATA - FIVE VARIATIONS

By akselden

Chill 4 - 24 hours.

Ingredients

• Bacon, Cheddar, Mushroom, Tomato:
• 5 C. of cubed French bread (with crust)
• 10 large eggs
• 1 qt. whole milk
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 1 tsp. salt
• Cheese and filling ingredients - see Variations below
• 2 C. Grated sharp cheddar
• 1 C. crumbled cooked bacon (6-8 strips)
• 1 C. sauteed slided white or shitake mushrooms
• 1 C. chopped tomatoes
• Chicken, Broccoli, Corn, Chiles and Jack:
• 2 C. grated Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 C. frozen corn kernels
• 1 C. cooked broccoli florets
• 2 4-5 oz. cans (drained) chopped green chiles
• 1/2 c. shredded cooked chicken
• Ham, Swiss and Asparagus:
• 2 C. grated Swiss Cheese
• 1 C. blanched asparagus pieces
• 1 C. cubed ham
• 1/2 C. carmelized onions (see below)
• Fontina, Spinach, Salami, and Roasted Garlic:
• 2 C. Fontina cheese
• 1 C. frozen chopped spinach
• 1 C. Italian salami (cut into matchsticks)
• 1/2 C. chopped roasted garlic cloves(see below)
• Vegetable Blue Cheese:
• 1 C. crumbled blue cheese
• 1 C. cooked cubed celery root
• 1 C. sauteed sliced zucchini
• 1/2 C. sauteed sliced onions.
• Carmelized Onions:
• 3 T. unsalted butter
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 large onion
• Roasted Garlic:
• 1 garlic bulb

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

1. Butter 9x13" baking dish. Put the bread cubes in the dish and sprinkle them with the cheese. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, mustard and salt. Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes. Sprinkle the filling ingredients over the egg mixture and fold them in gently. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

2. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

3. Uncover the baking dish and bake for 60 minutes, until the mixture has puffed up slightly and is golden brown on top, and the strata doesn't shimmy when you shake the pan. Tent the dish with foil if the top is browning too quickly. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

4. Serve by the spoonful, using a large serving spoon.

CARMELIZED ONIONS:
Melt unsalted butter with olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add 1 large onion, thinly sliced, turn down heat to medium low and saute slowly for 20 minutes until the onion carmelizes a bit.

ROASTED GARLIC:
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. On a work surface, place a square of foil, large enough to make a bundle around however many bulbs or garlic you plan to roast. Cut about 1/4 inch off the top of the garlic bulbs and place them on the foil, cut side up. Sprinkle each bulb with 1 tsp. olive oil and gather the foil to make a bundle. The bundle doesn't need to be airtight, but it should be gathered at the top.

Roast for about 1 hour, until soft. Then remove the garlic from the oven and let it cool, still bundled up for at least 10 minutes.

Open the bundle, separate the cloves and peel them by popping the garlic out of the skins. The garlic should be soft and golden brown.

Roasted garlic keeps for up to a week in an airtight container in the refrigerator.