It’s late Saturday night, company’s coming for brunch, and you’ve barely had time to wipe the smears of candy cane off the dining room table. This is precisely the sort of scenario that we imagine gave rise to the Classic Cheese Strata, an eggy casserole that goes into the fridge the night before and into the oven about an hour before guests arrive. Bring it to the table along with a green salad, some fruit and steaming mugs of coffee, and you’ve got a beautiful brunch without brain damage. You can fill your strata with what you like, so long as you keep the egg-to-milk ratio standard. In the past, we’ve used black olives, chiles and chorizo to give it a Southwestern spin, or basil, hot Italian sausage and sundried tomatoes for a Mediterranean flair. And this week, because the Colorado Sunday test kitchen is in Boulder County, we used slices of sprouted sourdough as a nutty alternative to the white bread that typically tops a strata.
Classic Cheese Strata
This recipe is adapted from the Junior League of Denver’s original cookbook, Colorado Cache, which uses mushrooms and bacon instead of ham and broccoli.
Ingredients
- 12 slices day-old bread
- 12 ounces grated cheddar cheese
- 1 10-ounce package of frozen broccoli florets, thawed and well drained
- 2 cups diced ham
- 6 eggs
- 3 1/2 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons minced onion
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
Directions
Cut bread in shapes using a donut or cookie cutter. Set aside and place the bread scraps in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish (or a 2-quart baking dish). Layer the cheese, broccoli and ham over the bread. Beat the eggs, milk, onion, salt and dry mustard together. Pour the egg mixture over the layered ingredients. Organize the cut bread shapes on top of the casserole. Cover and refrigerate for six hours or overnight. About 90 minutes before you’re ready to serve, bake the strata uncovered at 325 degrees for about an hour (longer if the casserole is very cold), until the dish is set and slightly puffy. Allow the dish to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
