Breakfast Strata with Spinach and Gruyère
Recipe: Breakfast Strata with Spinach and Gruyère
From: Cook's Illustrated, Nov/Dec 2001
Serves: 4-6 (depending on what else you serve with it)
8-10 slices supermarket French or Italian bread, 1/2" thick (ca. 6-7 oz.)
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
4 med. shallots, minced (ca. 1/2 c.)
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
salt and pepper
1/2 c. medium-dry white wine, e.g. Sauvignon Blanc
6 oz. Gruyère cheese, grated (ca. 1-1/2 c.) [or regular swiss cheese is fine too]
6 large eggs
1-3/4 c. half & half
Heat oven to 225 degrees. Arrange bread in single layer on large baking sheet and bake until dry and crisp, about 40 min., turning slices over halfway through. (Or, leave out overnight to dry.) Let cool, and then butter slices on one side with 2 Tbsp. of the butter; set aside.
Heat 2 Tbsp. butter in med. nonstick skillet over med. heat. Sauté shallots ca. 3 min., until translucent; add spinach and salt & pepper to taste and cook, stirring, until spinach and shallots are combined, about 2 min. Transfer to medium bowl and set aside. Add wine to skillet, increase heat to med-high, and simmer until reduced to 1/4 c., 2-3 min.; set aside.
Butter 8" square baking dish with remaining 1 Tbsp. butter. Arrange half the buttered bread slices, butter-side up, in single layer in dish. Sprinkle half of spinach mixture, then 1/2 c. grated cheese evenly over bread slices. Arrange remaining bread slices in single layer over cheese; sprinkle remaining spinach and another 1/2 c. cheese evenly over bread. Whisk eggs in med. bowl until combined; whisk in reduced wine, half & half, 1 tsp. salt, and pepper to taste. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread layers; cover surface flush with plastic wrap, weigh down (see note), and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
Remove dish from refrigerator and let stand at room temp. 20 min. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Uncover strata and sprinkle remaining 1/2 c. cheese evenly over surface; bake until both edges and center are puffed and edges have pulled slightly away from sides of dish, 50-55 min. Cool on wire rack 5 min. and serve.
Notes:
To weigh down strata, use 2 1-lb. boxes of brown or powdered sugar; a gallon-sized zipper-lock plastic bag filled with ca. 2 lb. of sugar or rice; or cans of tuna etc. Weighing the strata down helps the bread soak evenly with the custard.
A doubled recipe can be baked in a 9x13 dish greased with 1-1/2 Tbsp. butter and baked about 60 min.
Don't cook till the top is brown, just till it's beginning to turn golden or it will be overdone and rubbery. I made this for myself and ate it for dinner for 4 nights; it keeps well and reheats fine in the microwave.
I've never tried the variations below, but they do look good.
Variations:
Strata with Sausage, Mushrooms, and Monterey Jack
Reduce shallots to 3 (1/3 c.); reduce butter to 3 Tbsp. total; replace spinach with 8 oz. bulk breakfast sausage and 8 oz. white button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered; replace Gruyère with Jack cheese; add 2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley.
Prepare bread as in main recipe. Then fry sausage in med. nonstick skillet over med. heat, breaking up with wooden spoon, until it loses its raw color and begins to brown, ca. 4 min.; then add shallots and cook, stirring, until softened and translucent, 1-2 min. Add mushrooms to skillet and cook until they no longer release liquid, ca. 6 min. Transfer mixture to med. bowl and season to taste w/ salt & pepper. Reduce wine as in main recipe and continue as in main recipe, substituting sausage mixture for spinach and adding parsley to egg mixture. If doubling this recipe, bake the doubled quantity about 1 hour 20 min.
Strata with Potatoes, Rosemary, and Fontina
Reduce shallots to 3 (1/3 c.); replace spinach with 12 oz. new potatoes (ca. 2 med.), cut into 1/2" cubes, 2 med. garlic cloves minced, and 1-1/2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary; replace Gruyère with fontina cheese; add 2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley.
Prepare bread as in main recipe. Bring 1 qt. water to boil in med. saucepan over med-high heat, add 1 tsp. salt and cubed potatoes and boil until just tender when pierced w/ tip of paring knife, ca. 4 min. Drain. Heat 2 Tbsp. butter in med. nonstick skillet over med. heat and cook potatoes until just beginning to brown, ca. 10 min. Add shallots and cook, stirring, until translucent, 1-2 min. longer; add garlic and rosemary and cook till fragrant, ca. 2 min. longer. Transfer to med. bowl, season to taste w/ salt & pepper, set aside. Reduce wine as in main recipe and continue as in main recipe, substituting potato mixture for spinach and adding parsley to egg mixture. If doubling this recipe, bake the doubled quantity about 1 hour 10 min.
From: Cook's Illustrated, Nov/Dec 2001
Serves: 4-6 (depending on what else you serve with it)
8-10 slices supermarket French or Italian bread, 1/2" thick (ca. 6-7 oz.)
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
4 med. shallots, minced (ca. 1/2 c.)
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
salt and pepper
1/2 c. medium-dry white wine, e.g. Sauvignon Blanc
6 oz. Gruyère cheese, grated (ca. 1-1/2 c.) [or regular swiss cheese is fine too]
6 large eggs
1-3/4 c. half & half
Heat oven to 225 degrees. Arrange bread in single layer on large baking sheet and bake until dry and crisp, about 40 min., turning slices over halfway through. (Or, leave out overnight to dry.) Let cool, and then butter slices on one side with 2 Tbsp. of the butter; set aside.
Heat 2 Tbsp. butter in med. nonstick skillet over med. heat. Sauté shallots ca. 3 min., until translucent; add spinach and salt & pepper to taste and cook, stirring, until spinach and shallots are combined, about 2 min. Transfer to medium bowl and set aside. Add wine to skillet, increase heat to med-high, and simmer until reduced to 1/4 c., 2-3 min.; set aside.
Butter 8" square baking dish with remaining 1 Tbsp. butter. Arrange half the buttered bread slices, butter-side up, in single layer in dish. Sprinkle half of spinach mixture, then 1/2 c. grated cheese evenly over bread slices. Arrange remaining bread slices in single layer over cheese; sprinkle remaining spinach and another 1/2 c. cheese evenly over bread. Whisk eggs in med. bowl until combined; whisk in reduced wine, half & half, 1 tsp. salt, and pepper to taste. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread layers; cover surface flush with plastic wrap, weigh down (see note), and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
Remove dish from refrigerator and let stand at room temp. 20 min. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Uncover strata and sprinkle remaining 1/2 c. cheese evenly over surface; bake until both edges and center are puffed and edges have pulled slightly away from sides of dish, 50-55 min. Cool on wire rack 5 min. and serve.
Notes:
To weigh down strata, use 2 1-lb. boxes of brown or powdered sugar; a gallon-sized zipper-lock plastic bag filled with ca. 2 lb. of sugar or rice; or cans of tuna etc. Weighing the strata down helps the bread soak evenly with the custard.
A doubled recipe can be baked in a 9x13 dish greased with 1-1/2 Tbsp. butter and baked about 60 min.
Don't cook till the top is brown, just till it's beginning to turn golden or it will be overdone and rubbery. I made this for myself and ate it for dinner for 4 nights; it keeps well and reheats fine in the microwave.
I've never tried the variations below, but they do look good.
Variations:
Strata with Sausage, Mushrooms, and Monterey Jack
Reduce shallots to 3 (1/3 c.); reduce butter to 3 Tbsp. total; replace spinach with 8 oz. bulk breakfast sausage and 8 oz. white button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered; replace Gruyère with Jack cheese; add 2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley.
Prepare bread as in main recipe. Then fry sausage in med. nonstick skillet over med. heat, breaking up with wooden spoon, until it loses its raw color and begins to brown, ca. 4 min.; then add shallots and cook, stirring, until softened and translucent, 1-2 min. Add mushrooms to skillet and cook until they no longer release liquid, ca. 6 min. Transfer mixture to med. bowl and season to taste w/ salt & pepper. Reduce wine as in main recipe and continue as in main recipe, substituting sausage mixture for spinach and adding parsley to egg mixture. If doubling this recipe, bake the doubled quantity about 1 hour 20 min.
Strata with Potatoes, Rosemary, and Fontina
Reduce shallots to 3 (1/3 c.); replace spinach with 12 oz. new potatoes (ca. 2 med.), cut into 1/2" cubes, 2 med. garlic cloves minced, and 1-1/2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary; replace Gruyère with fontina cheese; add 2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley.
Prepare bread as in main recipe. Bring 1 qt. water to boil in med. saucepan over med-high heat, add 1 tsp. salt and cubed potatoes and boil until just tender when pierced w/ tip of paring knife, ca. 4 min. Drain. Heat 2 Tbsp. butter in med. nonstick skillet over med. heat and cook potatoes until just beginning to brown, ca. 10 min. Add shallots and cook, stirring, until translucent, 1-2 min. longer; add garlic and rosemary and cook till fragrant, ca. 2 min. longer. Transfer to med. bowl, season to taste w/ salt & pepper, set aside. Reduce wine as in main recipe and continue as in main recipe, substituting potato mixture for spinach and adding parsley to egg mixture. If doubling this recipe, bake the doubled quantity about 1 hour 10 min.