Strata, the Breakfast of Cholesterol Champions

Many of you have heard or read about my sister Nicole and HER INCREDIBLE FOOD SITE. Every once in a while, I’ll be bringing you what I consider the highlights. This week it’s another in my series of “breakfast for lunch” entrées: Carmelized Onion and Spinach Strata.

This rich eggy treat is topped with a savory tomato topping that just rocks the house down. While the sheer mountain of cholesterol that awaits you is daunting, if you parse the final product out in small portions, you are really only eating about one or two eggs per serving. My guess is that if you switch out the cream with another diary alternative (which I would be no good at guessing, but perhaps buttermilk or nonfat Greek yoghourt), you could salvage the less-than-healthy elements to this dish.

Strata Isn't Just for Breakfast Anymore!

SERVINGS: 12
PREP TIME: 30 minutes
COOK TIME: 1 hour & 15 minutes

Ingredients

Strata
6 c cubed day-old French or Italian bread, with crust left on
2 T unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
1 T peanut or other cooking oil
2 large Spanish onions, halved and thinly sliced
1 t sugar
one 10 oz. box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
10 large eggs
2 c grated aged Gruyère cheese
3 c whole milk
1 c heavy cream
2 t Dijon mustard
1 T finely chopped fresh thyme
1/8 t freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Sautéed Cherry Tomatoes
3 t olive oil
2 pints cherry tomatoes, quartered
3 T finely sliced fresh chives, plus more for garnish
Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Instructions

For the strata:

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.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

 Combine the butter and oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and cook until it begins to shimmer. Add the onions, toss to coat in the butter, and then add the sugar and season with salt and pepper. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and caramelized, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes, onions and spinach. In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs, 1 1/2 cups cheese, milk, heavy cream, mustard, 1 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, thyme and nutmeg.

Butter a 9 by 13-inch decorative baking dish. Add the bread cubes to the baking dish, and then pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes and press down to make sure the bread is totally submerged.

Bake the strata uncovered until the mixture has puffed up slightly, is golden brown on top and doesn’t shimmy with uncooked custard when you shake the pan, about 1 hour. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheese over the top during the last 10 minutes of baking. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

For the tomatoes:

• Heat oil in a large sauté pan over high heat until it begins to shimmer.
• Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook until the tomatoes softened.
• Add the chives and remove from the heat.
• Serve large spoonfuls of the strata onto plates and top with sautéed tomatoes.

My brother-in-law says the reason this is so popular is because the topping makes this rich egg dish taste like pizza. It’s surprising how close to the truth that is. I think it’s really savoury and perfect for lunch. We kept returning to this huge cassarole for leftovers. It’s remarkably tasty and is great with a lightly dressed green salad.

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