Best Wine N Cheese Strata Recipes

OVERNIGHT WINE AND CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Cut off and discard crusty ends of bread. Tear rest of loaf into bite size chunks. Arrange bread snugly in a heavily greased 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish. Set aside.
• Cook mushrooms, 1 ½ teaspoons fresh oregano, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in butter in a large skillet over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until mushrooms are tender. Sprinkle mushroom mixture over bread. Pour white wine over mushroom mixture. Sprinkle with ham and next 3 ingredients.
• Combine eggs and next 4 ingredients. Beat with a wire whisk until blended. Pour egg mixture over layers in dish. Cover and chill 8 hours.
• Bake strata, covered, at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven, and spread with sour cream. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Broil 4 inches from heat with electric oven door partially opened 2 to 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Garnish, if desired. Serve hot. 8 servings.
• NOTE: If you'd like to omit the wine in this rich brunch dish, substitute 2/3 cup milk.
• SouthernLiving Our Best Five Star Recipes.

CHEESE STRATA WITH HAM AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Butter a 3-quart gratin dish or casserole. Whisk eggs, milk, cream, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl. Toss ham, tomatoes, parsley, and chives together in a small bowl.
• Scatter 1/2 cup of cheese into prepared dish. Layer with 1/3 of bread and half of ham mixture. Repeat. Top strata with a final layer of bread and remaining 1 cup cheese.
• Pour egg mixture over top of dish and gently press to make moistened all bread layers. Drizzle with melted butter, cover strata with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to overnight.
• Preheat to 350 degrees F. Bake strata, on middle oven rack, uncovered, until slightly puffed and golden brown, about 45 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
• Arrange tomatoes, cut side up, in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Bake until slightly shriveled but still plump, about 5 hours.
• If not using immediately, refrigerate dried tomatoes, covered, up to 4 days. Or, if desired, layer tomatoes with herb sprigs and add olive oil. Refrigerate, covered, for up to 2 weeks.

CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Arrange half the bread in a buttered 2 1/2 quart baking dish or 8x8 pan.
• Drizzle half the melted butter over the bread.
• If adding veggies or meat layer those on next.
• Cover with the shredded cheese.
• Top with remaining bread and drizzle remaining butter over.
• In a small bowl, beat the milk, eggs and seasonings.
• Pour over the bread.
• Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes.
• Can be refrigerated unbaked up to 1 day.

CHEESE STRATA WITH HAM AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Grease a 3-quart gratin dish or casserole with 1 teaspoon of the butter.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, nutmeg, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Set aside. In a small bowl, toss together the ham, tomatoes, parsley, and chives.
• To make the strata: Scatter a 1/2 cup of the cheese over the bottom of the buttered dish, cover with one-third of the bread, and then half of the tomato mixture. Repeat. Top with a final layer of bread and remaining cheese.
• Pour the egg mixture over the strata and gently press it down with the back of a large spoon to make sure the top layer is moistened with the custard. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and drizzle it over the strata. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the strata, uncovered, until golden brown and slightly puffed, about 45 to 55 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
• Yield: 6 to 8 servings
• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Arrange the tomatoes cut side-up in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the salt. Dry in oven until slightly shriveled but still plump, about 5 to 6 hours.
• If not using immediately, store the tomatoes in a sealed container in the refrigerator, for 3 to 4 days. Alternatively, layer them in a container with the herbs, cover with olive oil, and store, covered, in the refrigerator, for up to 2 weeks.
• Yield: about 2 cups
• Copyright 2001 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved

CLASSIC CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Trim crusts from 4 slices of bread.
• Cut slices into 2 triangles each (total of 8).
• Arrange trimmings and uncut bread slices to cover the bottom of a 9x9x2 pan.
• Place cheese slices over the bread.
• Arrange the bread triangles in 2 rows over the cheese - overlap the points slightly on the bases.
• Beat the eggs and blend with milk, onions, salt, mustard and pepper.
• Pour over bread and cheese layers.
• Let stand 1 hour at room temperature or for several hours in refridgerator.
• Bake uncovered at 325 for approximately 1 hour - until knife at center comes out clean.
• Let stand 5 minutes before serving.