Breakfast
Savory Ham, Artichoke and Cheese Strata
The Highlands
14000 Woodland Drive
Guerneville, CA 95446
highlandsresort.com
- RECIPE YEAR: 2013
- RECIPE BY: Lynnette McLean
- YIELD: Serves 8
I love recipes that make me appear to be brilliant and inspired. Better yet, I like ones that allow me to prep ahead and pop the dish in the oven when guests arrive. Stratas are perfect for this. By the time I go to bed, breakfast is all but done. I adapted this recipe from an old issue of Bon Appetit magazine. It looks heavy on the herbs, but it all works really well together.
Ingredients:
- 8 eggs
- 4 cups milk or half-and-half
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 1/2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
- 8 cups sourdough bread cubes (1-inch cubes)
- 3/4 pound smoked ham, chopped
- 3 jars (each 6 1/2 ounces) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped (any fibrous leaves removed)
- 1/2 pound fresh goat cheese, softened and crumbled
- 2 1/2 cups (packed) grated fontina cheese
Directions:
Start this recipe the night before you plan to serve it. Coat a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat the eggs well and stir in the milk. In a small bowl, stir together the garlic, salt, pepper, nutmeg, sage, thyme and herbes de Provence. Place a layer of bread cubes in the prepared baking dish, followed by a generous sprinkling of the herb mixture. Add one layer each of ham, artichokes, goat cheese and fontina, and top with another layer of bread cubes. Repeat the layering in the same order, finishing with the remaining fontina. Pour the egg mixture over the top of the strata and cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap. Squish the bread down as you pull the plastic wrap tight so that all of the bread is submerged in the liquid. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours. The next morning, preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the chilled strata on a rimmed baking sheet and let it come to room temperature for 15 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap. Bake the strata until the cheese puffs up and turns golden brown and the filling is firm, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Using a sharp knife, cut into slices and serve.
