Saturday Strata Recipes

GRANDMA'S ANYTHING GOES STRATA

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease a 1 1/2 quart baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
• Whisk the eggs, milk, half-and-half, nutmeg, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a large bowl. Fold the greens, meat, bread and 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese into the mixture. Pour into the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining cheese.
• Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake until the strata is puffed, golden brown at the edges and set in the center, about 15 minutes more. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

VEGGIE-PACKED STRATA

Steps:

• In a large skillet, saute peppers and onion in 1 Tbsp. oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain; pat dry and set aside. In the same skillet, saute the yellow squash, zucchini and mushrooms in remaining 2 Tbsp. oil until tender. Drain; pat dry and set aside., Preheat oven to 325°. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, cream, salt and pepper until smooth. Beat in eggs. Stir in vegetables, half of the bread cubes and Swiss cheese. Arrange the remaining bread cubes in a greased 10-in. springform pan. Place on a baking sheet. Pour egg mixture into pan. , Bake, uncovered, until set and a thermometer reads 160°, 80-95 minutes. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before serving. Run a knife around sides of pan to loosen; remove sides. Cut into wedges.

SATURDAY STRATA

Steps:

• Arrange and Layer with first 6 ingredients.
• Coat a 2-3-quart round baking dish with nonstick spray.
• Arrange half the bread slices on the bottom of the dish. Top with half of each of the cream cheese, mozzarella, pesto, prosciutto, and tomatoes. Finish layering with the remaining ingredients.
• Whisk eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour the mixture over the layers; cover and chill for at least 2 hours, or as long as overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 20-30 minutes before baking. Bake the strata at 350° until puffed, golden brown, and lightly set in the center, about 1 hour. Allow the strata to rest for 10 minutes before unmolding.

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.

SUNDAY BRUNCH STRATA

Steps:

• Place bread cubes in a 13x9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray; set aside., In a large skillet, saute mushrooms and onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, egg whites, milk, spinach, cheeses, mustard, salt, nutmeg, pepper and mushroom mixture; pour over top. Cover and refrigerate overnight., Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.