6 steps to spinach and cheese strata.

i made my first strata for naomi's shower. yes, a risky move to make - trying out a brand new recipe on a large group of people - and egg dishes can be especially tricky! i had my quiche lady on speed dial in case the strata didn't work out, but thank goodness it did.

frightfully easy for how delicious it is.

warning: this is not a very "healthful" low-fat meal. it's one that will stick around in your gullet for a while. best left for a brunch for a group of friends. trust me on this - after eating it for 2 days, our household is forced to live in sweatpants. awesome and terrifying.

a few notes for this recipe

1. if you don't have stale bread, cut it up in 1" cubes and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, keeping a close eye so the bread is toasted, not burned.

2. this is best if prepared the evening before you serve to let the flavors meld and the eggs do its thing with the bread. wake up in the morning, throw it in the oven for about 50 minutes, and you have breakfast.

3. it may look jiggly when it comes out of the oven, but it will firm up after 15-20 minutes.

4. hannah added BACON and tomatoes to her strata and it was divine.

this is what a brunch looks like with 2 stratas (stratum?) as the main dish.

Gourmet's Spinach and Cheese Strata (adapted from here)

• ingredients
• 1 (10-oz) package frozen spinach, thawed
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion (1 large)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 8 cups cubed (1 inch) French or Italian bread (1/2 lb)
• 6 oz coarsely grated Gruyère (2 cups)
• 2 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 cup)
• 2 3/4 cups milk
• 9 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

preparation

1, thaw and squeeze handfuls of spinach to remove as much liquid as possible, then finely chop. (i squoze in paper towels)

2, Cook onion in butter in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in spinach, then remove from heat.

3, Spread one third of bread cubes in a buttered 3-quart gratin dish or other shallow ceramic baking dish and top evenly with one third of spinach mixture. Sprinkle with one third of each cheese. Repeat layering twice (ending with cheeses).

4, Whisk together milk, eggs, mustard, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl and pour evenly over strata. Chill strata, covered with plastic wrap, at least 8 hours (for bread to absorb custard).

5, Preheat oven to 350°F. Let strata stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

6, Bake strata, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.