Sweet, Savory & Simple Brunch
By Anne Willhoit
One of the delights of wintertime and the holidays is making time to gather. If you find yourself with a tableful of people, how lucky you are. This in-a-snap, two-part meal is perfect for feeding those you love, leaving you with more time to soak up their precious company.
Part one, the strata, is truly easy. Think of this one-dish egg bake as a savory relative of French toast, a perfect cross-section of low effort and high taste. It can, of course, be customized in infinite ways, but I’ve chosen this one because there is absolutely no precooking. With a little help from the deli counter, you can put it together in minutes on a sleepy evening, and by morning all that’s left to do is take it out of the fridge, put it in the oven and bring it to the table.
To complete the menu, serve the strata with Greek yogurt topped with storebought granola and the simple roasted fruit below.
Plus, since it’s brunch, why not have dessert? Stretch the meal and the time for telling tales with a gingerbread cake. Oh, and don’t forget thhoite coffee and tea
SAVORY STRATA
Feeds 5-6
A little room-temperature butter for the pan
1 loaf sandwich bread
1/4-pound Provolone cheese (about 5 slices)
1/2-pound deli ham, sliced “medium” thickness
¼-cup red onion, sliced extremely thin
2-3 Tbsp. pesto
2 cups milk
3/4 cup cream
9 large eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
Instructions:
- Grease the inside of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with room temperature butter and set aside.
- Slice or tear the bread into large pieces, 2 inches or more.
- Roughly chop the ham. Tear up the cheese into pieces.
- Halve and then slice the onion as thinly as possible.
- Thoroughly whisk the milk, eggs and cream together. Add 1/2 tsp. salt.
- Add the bread to the prepared pan and sprinkle and mix in the cheese and ham with your hands to disperse a bit evenly.
- Drizzle the pesto over.
- Pour the egg mixture over the top and press down a little to increase absorption.
- Cover and chill overnight (or at least 8 hours).
- When ready to bake, let the strata sit on the counter as the oven preheats. Bake it at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes. Serve hot.
GINGERBREAD CAKE
8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg
2/3-cup milk
2/3-cup molasses
¼-cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Instructions:
- Put the butter out to soften.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Use an 8 x 8-inch square pan or a 9-inch round cakepan. Line with parchment and grease the pan sides.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices in a bowl and set aside.
- With an electric mixer on medium, cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add in the molasses and beat until incorporated, scraping the sides when needed. Add the egg and briefly beat again.
- Add the flour mixture, then the milk, mixing and scraping gently until combined.
Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes
Serve warm with whipped cream and maybe a little applesauce
