I hope that everyone had a good weekend, and if you are in the US a great long weekend. I know i did nothing but relaxed on and Island outside of Seattle for the whole weekend. It was great, of course i did some cooking too but it was still relaxing and the weather was great.
One of the things i have been wanting to share with you is my Strata. This dish was introduced to me by a friend years ago and i have been making it ever since, because it is an excellent brunch party dish.
One of the main reasons it is so great is that you can make it the day before and it is very easy and just delicious.
A strata is very similar to quiche and frittata but quiche has a pie base, frittata has no base and strata has a bread base.
All you need is some stale bread, some meat, cheese and eggs and you are ready to go. Prepare it the night before and the morning of the brunch put it into the oven 1 hour before eating time and enjoy your guests.
One of the worst things I know is getting up hours early to start cooking for guest for brunch, I love having brunch parties but to me it is all about good planning. Another great brunch dish you can make the night before is Baked French Toast.
Strata
Yields: 8-10 people | Prep Time: 30 minutes | Bake Time: 50 minutes
1 lbs sausage cut into ½ inch pieces (hot and mild mixture)
4 ounces bacon cut into ½ inch pieces
1 onion chopped
1 zucchini chopped
½ cup mushrooms chopped
1/3 cup of spring onions
1 tbsp of fresh basil
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp of fresh parsley
12 slices of stale bread, ½ cubed, with the ends cut off
¾ cups shredded Swiss
¾ cups shredded sharp cheddar
8 eggs
2 cups heavy creamCut your bacon and sausage and add to a skillet and cook for about 5 minutes or until bacon is cooked to your liking. Add chopped onions, zucchini, mushroom, spring onions, basil, paprika, salt, oregano, and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from stove and add parsley and Dijon mustard and stir. Set aside.
Line 9×13″ greased baking dish with the bread. Then sprinkle the cooked ingredients on top. Cover with cheeses. And then whisk eggs and cream together and pour liquid over and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Refrigerate overnight.
The following day turn the oven to 350F degrees and bake for 40-50 minutes (without the cover for the last 10 minutes).
And for all those folks wondering where I got my wonderful “Eat” napkins, you can get them from Piper who is the owner of the wonderful boutique called One Sydney Road. They come in set of 4 and you can get a matching table runner as well. One Sydney Road has some very cute items for your home and you have to check it out.
Maris (In Good Taste) says
May 31, 2011 at 12:25 amI love the bread base and have bookmarked this delicious recipe!
Delishhh replied: — May 31st, 2011 @ 6:37 am
Maris – first time i made this i had doubts about the bread base but you can’t even tell it is bread once you cook it. Thanks for stopping by.
Heather (Heather's Dish) says
May 31, 2011 at 3:46 ami’ve always heard great things about Strata but can’t say i’ve ever made it…looks absolutely fabulous!
Faith says
May 31, 2011 at 10:24 amGlad you have a relaxing weekend. The strata looks wonderful. A great treat for the holiday.
carolinaheartstrings says
May 31, 2011 at 11:31 amThat looks just perfect for any get together event. Thank you for sharing that one.
Maddie says
May 31, 2011 at 6:25 pmI love One Sydney Road! Glad you’re on the bandwagon, too. 🙂 As for strata: looks like the perfect one-dish meal. That, and baked French toast, are on my brunch hit-list now!
Magic of Spice says
June 1, 2011 at 7:12 amA beautiful strata! I agree that this is a delightful dish for a brunch or even a lazy weekend, these is always something special about these types of dishes 🙂
Hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and sounds as if you did…
Kate@Diethood says
June 1, 2011 at 9:09 amThat looks fantastic!! I am glad to have one more recipe for a beautiful brunch!
I also wanted to thank you for introducing me to One Sydney Road! I love it!
Delishhh replied: — June 2nd, 2011 @ 8:43 am
Kate – Thanks for stopping by and One Sydney Road is great.
Nami @ Just One Cookbook says
June 1, 2011 at 2:06 pmOhhh stale bread as ingredient! NICE. Don’t we all have stale bread after parties etc? I’m bookmarking this recipe. Looks like other ingredients are pretty common stuff in my fridge, so this is a great recipe for us! Thank you for sharing!!! 😉
Delishhh replied: — June 2nd, 2011 @ 8:42 am
Nami – I know it’s the best. And you can really put what ever you want in a strata just as long as you have bread, eggs and cheese. I am sure you can some up with a great “Japanese” version of this 🙂 I was wondering what it would takes like with the gyoza pork stuffing inside a strata. Hmm. . .
Kelsey (Happyolks) says
June 1, 2011 at 4:57 pmJust found your blog, so lovely! This Strata looks delicious and indulgent! Glad to have found you 🙂
Delishhh replied: — June 2nd, 2011 @ 8:41 am
Kelsey – thanks for stopping by – Love your blog. . . .:)
Cookin' Canuck says
June 1, 2011 at 8:23 pmThis is a great make-ahead dish for entertaining. The first time I made a strata, I was hesitant about the bread base, but it really gives the dish a great texture.
Delishhh replied: — June 2nd, 2011 @ 8:40 am
Dara – The first time i had this at a friends i had to ask what kind of base she used and i couldn’t belive it was bread. Thanks for stopping by!
JulieD says
June 1, 2011 at 8:41 pmI’m bookmarking this to make, I have always wanted to make a strata but never have. Thanks!
Delishhh replied: — June 2nd, 2011 @ 8:39 am
Julie – Oh it is so easy! And you can really add what you want into it. As long as you just have your bread, egg and cheese you are good to go.
patsy says
June 2, 2011 at 4:41 amI haven’t made a strata before, but this one looks like something I would try since it can be made ahead. I love that! And, those napkins are great!
Delishhh replied: — June 2nd, 2011 @ 8:39 am
Patsy – thanks for stopping by. It is really easy to make and you can’t really mess it up 🙂
Lana @ Never Enough Thyme says
June 2, 2011 at 10:50 amI love making strata especially when we have overnight guests. I have a recipe that is a tradition for our Christmas breakfast every year. Love your use of zucchini in this one!
Delishhh replied: — June 2nd, 2011 @ 2:52 pm
Lana – HA me too, i have been making this every Christmas Day morning :). One year i just had zucchini, and it has been in there ever since :).
Barbara @ Barbara Bakes says
December 19, 2011 at 5:19 pmThis does sound like a fabulous recipe for the holidays!