Cherry Strata Recipes

CHERRY STRATA

Steps:

• .::|| Cherry Strata ||::.
• Preheat oven to 350°F Grease 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan.
• Place 8 cups of the bread cubes in prepared pan.
• In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar and extract until smooth. Stir in pecans and cherries (or cranberries). Spoon over bread and top with remaining bread cubes.
• In mixing bowl, whisk eggs, cream, cinnamon and remaining sugar. Pour over bread.
• Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes 350°F, or until browned.
• Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Top individual servings with Cherry Syrup.
• .::|| Cherry Syrup ||::.
• Combine cherries, sugar and corn syrup in small saucepan.
• Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Remove from heat and stir in extract. Serve warm over strata.

CHERRY STRATA

Steps:

• Place 8 cups bread cubes in a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. In a bowl, beat cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar and extract until smooth. Stir in cherries and pecans; spoon over bread. Top with remaining bread cubes. , In a bowl, whisk eggs, cream, cinnamon and remaining sugar; pour over bread. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. , For syrup, combine cherries, sugar and corn syrup in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in extract. Serve warm over strata.

CARAMELIZED ONION, SPINACH AND GRUYERE STRATA WITH SAUTEED CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Put the bread on a baking sheet and toast until lightly golden brown on both sides, about 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.
• Meanwhile, heat the butter and canola oil in a large saute pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions and toss to coat, then add the sugar and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden brown and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
• In a large bowl, combine the toasted bread, caramelized onions and spinach. In another large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, heavy cream, 1 1/2 cups cheese, the mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, the thyme and nutmeg. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add the bread mixture to the baking dish, then pour the egg mixture over the bread and press down to make sure it is totally submerged.
• Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake the strata, uncovered, until it is golden brown on top, puffed slightly and doesn't shimmy with uncooked custard when you shake the pan, 50 minutes to 1 hour; sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese during the last 10 minutes of baking. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
• Meanwhile, prepare the tomatoes: Heat the canola oil in a large saute pan over high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the cherry tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the chives and remove from the heat. Serve the strata with the sauteed tomatoes.

CHERRY STRATA FROM THE HERITAGE INN WITH CHERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• For Strata, place 8 cups of bread cubes in a greased 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
• In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, and extract until smooth. Stir in cherries and pecans.
• Spoon over bread cubes. Top with remaining bread cubes. In bowl, whisk eggs, cream, and remaining sugar; pour over bread.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until browned.
• Let cool 5 minutes and drizzle servings with cherry sauce.
• For Cherry Sauce, combine cherries, sugar, and corn syrup in a saucepan; bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in almond extract.

SAVORY STRATA

Steps:

• Whisk together milk, eggs, 1/4 teaspoon salt, Tabasco and nutmeg. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.
• Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add leeks, and toss to coat with oil. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes or until leeks are soft. Season with 3/4 teaspoon salt. Cool.
• Mix together ricotta, Parmesan, pepper and herbs. Stir in the cooled leeks.
• Grease a roasting pan 9 by 12 by 2 1/2 inches with 1 teaspoon butter. Lay 6 slices of bread in the bottom of the pan. Top with half of the ricotta-leek mixture. Repeat with a second layer. Place the last layer of bread in the pan, and spread the top with the softened butter.
• Pour the custard over the bread, gently pressing top slices into the mixture. Place on a cookie sheet, wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic, and sprinkle the top with the cheese. Place in a larger pan, and put on the middle rack of oven. Fill the larger pan with boiling water to come up about halfway on the smaller pan. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until puffy and brown. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

CHEDDAR AND CHORIZO STRATA

Steps:

• Place 4 cups bread cubes in a single layer in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 cup cheese and the spinach. Layer with chorizo and onion; top with remaining bread and cheese., In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, garlic salt and mustard. Pour over bread. Refrigerate, covered, several hours or overnight., Preheat oven to 350°. Remove strata from refrigerator while oven heats. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

EASY STRATA AND VARIATIONS

Steps:

• Saute mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of oil. Season with salt and set aside.
• Whisk half-and-half, eggs, salt and pepper until smooth. Spray a 9-by-13-inch Pyrex or ceramic baking dish with vegetable cooking spray.
• Line bottom with 6 slices of bread. Scatter half of the ham, and half of the mushrooms over the bread, then sprinkle with half of the scallions and cheese. Pour 1 cup of egg mixture over the top. Repeat layers with remaining bread, ham, mushrooms, cheese and scallions. Slowly pour remaining egg mixture evenly over top. Cover with plastic wrap, then weight down casserole with 3 16-ounce cans for at least 15 minutes to submerge ingredients. (Can be refrigerated overnight, but return to room temperature before baking.)
• Adjust oven rack to middle position. Bake in preheated 325-degree oven until custard is just set, about 50 minutes. Turn on broiler and broil until strata is spotty brown and puffy (watch carefully), about 5 minutes longer. Let stand for 8 to 10 minutes, then serve immediately.