1 loaf
day-old baguette or crusty bread, crust removed, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tbs
butter
1
small onion
2 tbsp
fresh thyme or rosemary (about 1 tbs)
8 oz
mushrooms, sliced
3 cups
fresh spinach, packed
2 cups
swiss cheese, grated
8
eggs
2 cups
whole milk
1 cup
heavy cream
2 tsp
kosher salt
1/2 tsp
black pepper, freshly ground
1 tsp
dijon mustard
1/4 tsp
nutmeg, freshly grated
Method
Preheat oven to 400° F. Place the bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
In a large sauté pan over medium heat, cook the onions, mushrooms and herbs in the butter until vegetables are softened, about 7 minutes. Add the spinach to the pan and cook another 5 minutes until the spinach is wilted and completely cooked down. Pull the pan off the heat, and let cool.
In a 9 inch square or round casserole (or a 9 inch springform pan) measure out the toasted bread. The amount of bread you need should fill the dish. Once you have measured this, place that amount of bread back into the empty mixing bowl. Add the onion mushroom mixture and 2 cups of swiss cheese to the bread in the mixing bowl. Toss to combine.
Turn oven down to 350° F.
In a blender combine the eggs, milk, cream, salt, pepper, mustard and nutmeg. Blend for 10 seconds until combined.
Line your dish with parchment paper or lightly grease the dish. Add the bread and mushroom onion mixture to the pan. Carefully pour the egg mixture over the bread. Press the bread cubes down to make sure they are totally submerged. Note: This step can be made the night before.
Bake the strata uncovered until it has has puffed slightly, is golden brown on top and does not shimmy with uncooked egg mixture when you shake the pan, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. If the strata gets too dark, cover with foil and continue cooking. Let the strata cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Serve strata warm or at room temp.
