How To Have A Date Night On A Sunday Morning

This post originally appeared as part of a guest post series I’m doing over at Building Camelot on September 2, 2009.

One of our favorite indulgences in my house is the lazy Sunday where we stay in our pajamas well into the afternoon. Days like this are the perfect opportunity to make the morning that date night you couldn’t have on Saturday.

On these fine days you sometimes need something a little more than a bowl of cereal or a quickly tossed together plate of eggs, bacon and toast. Sometimes you need to do a little planning, some moderate prep work and wait patiently for your reward to be ready.

If you are willing to invest the necessary time to make something truly delicious, then you need to strongly consider making a stratta for your next ‘date morning’. A stratta is basically a bread pudding that is baked in a casserole dish. The foundation is simply day old bread that has been cubed and a custard of whipped egg and cream.

From this base you can pretty much take it in any direction you feel like going be it sweet or savory. My wife prefers savory items for the first meal of the day, so I chose to add ham, onion, green bell pepper and an assortment of cheeses to the stratta that I make for her.

It takes 20 to 30 minutes to prepare and will need to cook for about 35 to 40 minutes depending on your oven, but it is certainly worth the effort.

Here are the basics of what you’ll need to make the stratta:

Hardware:

Oven, preheated to 350 degrees
Medium casserole dish, greased
Frying pan, for a quick sauté of any meats or vegetables
Large mixing bowl
Medium mixing bowl
Whisk
Spatula
Cutting board and knife

Software:

2-3 cups cubed day old bread of choice
4 oz. (half a package) cream cheese (or ricotta cheese, if preferred)
6-8 eggs
½ c. cream or half-and-half
¾ c. Gruyere cheese, grated
¼ c. Parmesan cheese, grated (for topping)
Medium onion, diced
1 Green bell pepper, diced
1 Ham steak, cubed
3-4 bacon slices, rendered and crumbled

Assemblage:

• Cube the loaf of bread and set aside in the large mixing bowl.
• Cook the bacon in the frying pan until crispy, set aside and drain most of the pan drippings.
• Add the cubed ham steak into the frying pan with the remaining drippings and cook until browned, then add the onion and green bell pepper until the onions are translucent.
• Remove the ham, onion and pepper mixture from heat and let cool.
• Put the cream cheese in the medium mixing bowl and soften in the microwave for about thirty seconds on 50% power, or until completely soft.
• Using the whisk, whip the softened cream cheese until smooth while adding cream.
• Add the eggs to the cream cheese and cream mixture, and whisk until completely incorporated.
• Pour the egg mixture over the cubed bread and mix thoroughly, then add the Gruyere cheese and crumbled bacon.
• Add the cooled ham, onion and pepper mix to the large mixing bowl.
• Pour the contents of the large mixing bowl into the greased casserole dish.
• Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top to create a nice crispy crust.
• Bake in oven uncovered on the middle rack for 35 to 40 minutes, checking after about 25 to make sure the custard mixture is setting up.

The stratta is done when you can insert and remove a butter knife cleanly from the center of the pan. If you really want a crispy top, sprinkle a little extra Parmesan on top and turn the broiler on high for three to five minutes.

Variations on a Theme:

If you prefer, you can mix things up with different meats or vegetables to create your own version of the stratta. Or, if you want to go sweet, drop the meats, vegetables and cheeses from the software list.

You can add sugar, honey or maple syrup to the custard mix to sweeten it up and even a tablespoon or two of melted butter for a little richness. Then you can add chopped pecans or walnuts and some fresh fruit after you’ve folded the custard into the cubed bread.

As far as seasoning goes you could toss in some cinnamon or nutmeg, but what would be even better is to mix a 2:1 ratio of granulated sugar to cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle it on the top to form a sweet, crunchy crust.

Presentation:

There’s really no trick here, as a stratta is kind of a rustic dish. I usually just scoop it out and pile it up on the plate. If I’m feeling really fancy, then I might chifonade some basil or use chives as a garnish.

No matter which way you go, you really can’t lose. This is a fun, easy recipe that you can make very easily and inexpensively.

If you give this, or anything else here, a try I’d love to hear from you about how you liked it, what you may have done differently to fit your tastes, or what you do for lazy Sundays in your home.