Friday, July 29, 2011

Company Coming!

Or company came, rather. This past week I hosted some friends for breakfast and then my dearest friend came to stay with her adorable daughter. It was busy and fun. But honestly, the breakfast was fun because it was no work. I know what you're thinking. You clearly see a picture of baked something or other up there (strata, if you must know) and you are wondering how exactly this was no work unless I purchased it. I didn't purchase it. And still, I maintain it was no work. Also, really delicious. Want to have this delicious eggy cheesey browned breakfast goodness? Read on. The recipe is from this gem of an inn in Maryland. If the idea of even this no effort breakfast is stressing you out, it might be best if you just go get it from the source.

STRATA
adapted from The Brampton Inn - Chestertown, Maryland. Seriously, check out their website, gorgeous, no?

INGREDIENTS:
8 1/2" slices of crusty French bread, buttered on one side
5 eggs
3 C whole milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 C shredded sharp cheddar (I used a mix of cheddar and asiago)
6 oz crumbled breakfast sausage, cooked and drained
(optional - a few teaspoons of hot sauce)

DIRECTIONS:
1.Butter an 8" square ovenproof dish
2. Arrange bread slices in two rows, buttered side down
3. Whisk eggs in large bowl
4. Add milk, salt and pepper and hot sauce
5. Pour egg mixture over bread
7. Sprinkle with sausage and cheese
8. Cover and refrigerate overnight

Then the morning of:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Uncover and bake for 50-60 minutes (mine took 65), until puffed and no longer liquid in the middle and golden on top.
Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

See? Almost no work.

5 comments:

jmlc said...

oh it was so good as leftovers- I can only imagine how great it was as breakfast! xoxo

PLW said...

I have been making this for YEARS- ever since the Brampton Inn sent the recipe in their mailer. (LOVE the place, BTW! And all their food is scrumptious.)
It is foolproof and perfect for the holidays because of the do-ahead thing, especially Thanksgiving morning and Christmas Eve morning when you just know the day will be filled with hecticity.
(I must confess, I have been known to eat a small sliver cold right from the frig. Taste testing, you know)

PLW said...

PS
I have used Gruyere as well and I think the original recipe calls for ham. If I have it in the house, I use the Virginia dry cured ham. It is a perfect recipe because you can substitute according to what you have in the house.

Carrietracy said...

Yeah, using the ham the way the Brampton Inn suggests will cut out another step since it doesn't require cooking like the sausage does, right? EVEN LESS WORK.

JMLC said...

oh dear, I made this today but must have used too big a pan. It def. needed more egg. However, it was still pretty good- just not as eggy.

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