About the Recipe
Strata is an American baked casserole dish. It is made by layering stale bread, cheese (such as Gruyère or cheddar), and often cooked vegetables or meat in a dish, then pouring a seasoned mixture of eggs and milk over it and letting it soak before baking. While its name and technique are inspired by Italian strati (layers), it is a 20th-century American recipe popularized in mid-century community cookbooks. It is served primarily as a make-ahead brunch or lunch dish.
Ingredients
About 250g day-old bread
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small leek, trimmed and finely sliced
250g frozen spinach, defrosted, or about 500g fresh spinach, wilted in a large pan with a splash of water
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
Salt and black pepper
6 eggs
100g full-fat creme fraiche, or double cream
175ml whole milk
Nutmeg, to taste
Butter or oil, for greasing
100g grated cheese (eg, gruyere, emmental, medium cheddar)
Preparation
Step 1
Heat half the oil in a frying pan on a medium-low heat and saute the leek until soft and limp, but not brown. Scoop into a medium bowl. Squeeze as much water out of the spinach as possible, then roughly chop. Heat the rest of the oil in the same pan, add the garlic and fry for a minute or so, until fragrant. Stir in the the spinach, fry until the pan is dry, then mix into the leek bowl and season.
Step 2
Beat the eggs thoroughly in a jug, then whisk just enough of them into the creme fraiche to loosen it. Once that’s thoroughly combined, tip back into the jug, add the milk, beat again, then season generously with salt and nutmeg.
Step 3
To assemble, grease a baking dish that’s just large enough to hold the bread in two layers, then spread half the greens and a third of the grated cheese in the base. Top with half the bread, then repeat, keeping back the last of the cheese for later. Pour the custard all over the top of the second layer of bread (it should be all but submerged), cover and chill, ideally with something heavy on top to weigh it down and compress. Leave for at least an hour, though overnight is fine.
Step 4
Heat the oven to 325F (160C ). Take the strata out of the fridge and sprinkle the remaining cheese all over the top. Bake for about 50 minutes, until golden on top, then remove and leave to cool slightly before serving.