STrata is a classic dish that is also a wonderful way to use stale bread, odds and ends of cheese, and any vegetables or meat you have left behind. It is endless adjustable, and great for feeding a lot or preparation in advance for a lying breakfast or brunch.
Strata, or delicious bread pudding
The strata involves layering custard-soaked bread in a buttered dish, and covers it with more custard, plenty of cheese and about any other flavoursome ingredients take your fancy. Cubed bread seems common in many recipes, but, as a huge fan of quintessential British bread-and-but-pudding, I used sliced bread instead (I was surprised to find out that American-style delicious pudding bread was around since the early 1900s-one of the first recipes that appeared in the Junata L Shepper’s Book Handbook of Household Science Published in 1902).
I flavored my strata with chopped spinach, roasted leeks and dried tomato tomatoes, a combination that I could take revenge, but I recommend working with whatever you need. Contact your inner chef and create your own delicious combination of the taste of one, two, three or more main ingredients.
Serving 6
600ml whole milk
150g grated cheese – Gruyere, Cheddar, Blue Cheese, Parmesan
50g Parmesan Rind (Optional)
1 tbsp dijon mustard (Optional)
3 sprigs fresh thymestripped to obtain 1 TSP leaves (optional)
¼ tsp grated nutmegor to taste (optional)
5 Medium eggs
Salt and black pepper
500g old bread (sourdough, wholemeal, brioche), sliced
200-400g optional filling .
Additional flavors (all optional and taste)
Pesto
Sun-dried tomato pasteor chopped tomatoes dried days
The cheese of the soft goat
First make the custard, heat the milk in a saucepan with 100g of grated cheese and any of the optional flavors. Stir until the mixture begins to simmer, then remove the heat. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, then gradually pour in hot milk mixture, whisking all while, and season to taste.
Prepare and Choose all your optional filling. Pour enough mixture of custard into a large dish of enamel or deep roasting cans to cover the base, then spread a third of your filling tops.
Working a cut at the same time, dip the bread on the custard, then layer on the dish. Pour the remaining custard, ensuring that the bread is evenly soaked, then spread the tops and dots with any of the optional excess flavors. Finish the remaining 50g grated cheese, then place another dish or tray on top, gently press down to drop the bread, and leave to sit at least 15 minutes and up to an hour.
Raise the top dish, then bake strata mother 210c (190c fan)/410f/gas 6½ oven for 25 minutes, until golden brown. Serve hot or hot -warm.
