Cheese Strata

This recipe is famous in our family. So famous that we fondly refer to our Christmas Brunch day as “Strata Day”.

Our recipe for cheese strata comes from my mother. She only makes strata once a year – and this year, Strata Day was almost cancelled! Since a large contingent of our family is in Hawaii right now (cough cough, Jo), we did not find a date for our Christmas Brunch before everyone left.  Now, I could not stand for a year to pass by without strata. I was also aware that some dear readers out there were looking forward to this particular recipe… and so, I convinced my mother that although it was not our annual Christmas Brunch this past weekend, that we should make a strata anyway. I really think it worked out for the best that Jo and her family are currently relaxing on a beach, since although I may be stuck here in semi-chilly Toronto, there is more strata for me!

If you are not familiar with what strata is yet, it is a bit like a quiche, in the sense that its base ingredients include eggs, milk and cheese. Rather than having a crust, however, strata has layers of bread within the egg mixture – an amazing addition as this is softer than a quiche crust.

Now that my mother has finally passed on this recipe to me (thanks Mom!), I’m sure that we will have a postponed Strata Day (Christmas Brunch) in early January, when our vacationers return!

Broccoli and cheese - always a winning combination

THE RECIPE:

10 to 12 slices white bread

¾ lb cheddar cheese, grated (I used about 2 cups)

1 head of Broccoli*

Optional: 2 cups of ham

6 to 8 eggs, slightly beaten

2 ½ to 3 cups of 2% milk

2 to 3 tbsp minced dried onion

¼ tsp dry Keen’s mustard

Pinch of salt

1. For a festive look, choose a shaped cookie cutter (I used a star) or alternatively, use a circular cookie cutter (or a water glass) to cut shapes from white bread. Set aside the cut out shapes. Line the bottom of your 9 by 11” baking dish with the scraps of the bread.

2. Sprinkle a layer of cheese on top of the bread layer, reserving around a quarter cup of cheese.

3. Cut broccoli into bite sized pieces and partially cook, so the broccoli is still a bit crunchy. 4. Layer the broccoli on top of the cheese. If using ham or any other vegetables, include them in the layer now too. 

5. Take your reserved cut out shapes of bread and arrange on top.

6. In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, beat together the eggs and milk. Stir in the minced dried onion and dry mustard. Pour the egg mixture over your casserole dish. The eggs will rise a bit while baking, so do not overfill. If there is not enough egg mixture, add more milk to the strata dish.

7. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight.

8. Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for one hour. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese (if you really like cheese, you could even grate more than your reserved ¼ cup and sprinkle it on now too) and bake an additional 5 minutes.

9. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

10. Book off a day in your calendar that will forever be referred to as “Strata Day”. You now have a new annual tradition. 

* Feel free to substitute for other vegetables, such as asparagus, red peppers, mushrooms, etc.

Line your pan with the leftover bread pieces (left)

Strata is a classic brunch dish, and, as mentioned in the recipe, this dish needs to be refrigerated for at least 6 hours before baking (this lets the flavours soak in). Strata is perfect to make the night before a special brunch – I hear next Sunday may be a special day (December 25, isn't it?), or there’s always New Year’s Day… it’s pretty nice to wake up in the morning and just turn on the oven and not have to do any other work until the strata is ready to eat!

Happy Eating!

Caroline