This easy and delicious strata recipe is also flexible — for best results, assemble it the night before your brunch and bake it in the morning. Try adding spinach or other cheeses (such as feta), substitute crumbled sausage for the bacon, or keep it vegetarian.
Yield:
about 8 servingsIngredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 medium onion, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
4 scallions, trimmed and finely chopped
10 1/4-inch slices hearty white bread, lightly toasted, cut in half (horizontally)
8 strips cooked bacon, roughly chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
6 ounces Gruy
Instructions
In a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter and cook onion 3 to 4 minutes; be careful not to brown. Add scallions and cook until onion is translucent and scallions are bright green. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
Coat the bottom of a 3-quart casserole or gratin dish with remaining butter. Line bottom of dish with 10 pieces of bread (it’s OK if slices overlap). Sprinkle an even layer of bacon on top of the bread.
Add onion and scallion mixture and both cheeses. Arrange remaining bread slices in overlapping rows on top of the first layer.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Pour mixture over the bread layers. Gently push the bread into the egg mixture to absorb liquid. Cover with foil and refrigerate.
After 6 to 8 hours, remove strata from refrigerator and bring to room temperature (about 30 minutes). Heat oven to 350°. Leaving the foil cover on, bake strata 30 minutes.
Remove foil and continue cooking about 20 minutes longer or until strata is lightly puffed and golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
