author: sarahjane
created: 2007-03-26 11:12:17
servings: 4-6
notes:
This recipe is good for brunches where you don't want to be doing a lot of running around at the last minute (my other standby for this is frittata). It's sort of like a savoury bread pudding and, I imagine, could use pretty much any combination of veg and cheese. Adapted from Gourmet via Epicurious
recipe:
Ingredients 1 (10-oz) package chopped frozen spinach, thawed 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion (1 large) 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 teaspoon salt [I used 1/2 but it probably could have used a wee bit more] 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 8 cups cubed (1 inch) French or Italian bread (1/2 lb) [I used challah] 6 oz coarsely grated Gruyère (2 cups) 2 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 cup) 2 cups milk 6 - 9 large eggs 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard Preparation Butter a 3-quart gratin dish (or other shallow ceramic baking dish). Squeeze spinach to remove as much liquid as possible. Cook onion in butter in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in spinach, then remove from heat. Spread half the bread cubes in gratin dish and top evenly with half of spinach mixture. Sprinkle with half of each cheese. Repeat layering (ending with cheeses). Whisk together milk, eggs, mustard, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a large bowl and pour evenly over strata. Chill strata, covered with foil, at least 8 hours (for bread to absorb custard). Preheat oven to 350°F. Let strata stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Bake strata, covered, in middle of oven until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, 45 to 55 minutes [remove foil 15 minutes before the end]. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Cooks' note: • Strata can be chilled up to 1 day. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before baking.