Breakfast Strata With Spinach And Mushroom Recipes

MAKE-AHEAD SPINACH AND MOZZARELLA BREAKFAST STRATA

Steps:

• Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper; continue to cook for 1 minute more. Stir in spinach, remove from heat, and set aside.
• Spray the inside of a 3-quart (9x13-inch) baking dish with cooking spray. Layer the bottom of the dish with 1/3 of the bread cubes. Top with 1/3 of the spinach mixture and 1/3 mozzarella cheese. Repeat these layers twice more with remaining bread, spinach mixture, and cheese.
• Combine eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk together until blended. Pour evenly over the bread and spinach layered in the baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 8 hours, up to 1 day.
• Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking to allow pan to get to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving.

BREAKFAST STRATA WITH SPINACH AND MUSHROOM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Arrange bread slices in a single layer on 2 large baking sheets and bake until dry and crisp, about 40 minutes, turning slices over halfway through drying time. (Alternatively, leave slices out overnight to dry.) When cooled, butter slices on one side using 4 tablespoons of butter; set aside. (Note: I used Smart Balance® with just a thin coating on each slice).
• Heat 3 1/2 tablespoons butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sauté shallots and mushrooms until shallots become fragrant and translucent, about 3 minutes.
• Add spinach to skillet. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach and shallots are combined, about 3 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl; set aside.
• Add wine to skillet, increase heat to medium-high, and simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup, 3 to 4 minutes; set aside.
• Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter.
• Arrange half the buttered bread slices, buttered-side up, in single layer in dish. Spread half of spinach mixture, then lay half of the cheese evenly over bread slices. Arrange remaining bread slices in single layer over cheese; spread remaining spinach mixture and the remaining cheese evenly over bread.
• Whisk eggs in medium bowl until combined; whisk in reduced wine, half-and-half, 2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread layers; cover surface flush with plastic wrap, weigh down (see note, below), and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
• Remove dish from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature 20 minutes. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Uncover strata and bake until both edges and center are puffed and edges have pulled away slightly from sides of dish, 60 to 65 minutes (or about 50 to 55 minutes for halved recipe). Cool on wire rack 5 minutes; serve.
• NOTE: By weighing down the strata, all of the bread is able to soak in the custard. To weigh down the assembled strata, two 1-pound boxes of brown or powdered sugar, laid side by side over the plastic-covered surface, make ideal weights. A gallon-sized zipper-lock bag filled with about 2 pounds of sugar or rice also works. This recipe halves easily; use one 8x8-inch baking dish greased with only 1 tablespoon butter and reduce the baking time as directed in step 8.
• A word about substituting fat-free half-and-half: The second time I made this recipe, I used fat-free half-and-half. The strata was soggy, not like the original recipe, even though I baked it longer. I think the custard needed more fat from the half-and-half in order to set properly.
• If you try this with fresh spinach, cook it first, squeeze it dry, then use it in place of frozen.

SPINACH, MUSHROOM AND CHEESE BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Grease a 9-by-13-inch (3-quart) casserole dish with oil.
• Toss the bread cubes with 2 tablespoons of the oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bread to the skillet, and cook, tossing occasionally, until toasted and golden brown, about 8 minutes. Return the toasted bread to the bowl to cool.
• Wipe out the skillet. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until it starts to shimmer. Add the mushrooms in one layer (resist the urge to stir right away), and cook until they start to brown, about 3 minutes; stir, then continue to brown for 2 minutes more. Add the garlic, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt and some pepper, stir continuously for 1 minute, then fold in the spinach and another 1/4 teaspoon salt. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the spinach is wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Place half the bread cubes in the prepared casserole dish, and sprinkle them with half each of the Gruyere and Parmesan. Add the mushroom-spinach mixture in an even layer. Top with the remaining bread cubes, Gruyere and Parmesan.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper. Pour the egg mixture into the casserole dish. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours up to overnight. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the casserole until the custard is set and the top is golden brown, 50 to 55 minutes. Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving warm or at room temperature.