Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Asparagus and Mushroom Strata





From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...While it is starting to get spindly, asparagus is still available in our local farmers' markets. I've been wanting to make this strata for ages, but for one reason or another kept putting it off. I finally decided it was foolish not to try it while asparagus is so cheap and plentiful. I always welcome recipes that make company breakfast or brunch easier to do and I like stratas because they can be assembled the night before they're needed. This one, adapted from Better Homes and Gardens magazine, is really easy to assemble and it is a pleasant way to start the day. If you are looking for a recipe that will simplify the serving of breakfast or brunch, you might want to give this one a try. It will never replace Eggs Benedict, but it's easy to do and festive. Here's the recipe.

Asparagus and Mushroom Strata...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, adapted from a recipe in Better Homes and Gardens magazine

Ingredients:
1 pound thin asparagus spears
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese (8 ounces)
2 tablespoons snipped fresh dillweed or 1 teaspoon dried dillweed
12 slices French or Italian bread, cut into 4x1x1-inch sticks
6 eggs
2-1/4 cups half-and-half or whole milk
1/4 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1) Clean asparagus; snap off woody bases. Cut thick spears in half lengthwise. Cut spears into 3-inch pieces. In a large saucepan bring a small amount of water to boiling. Add asparagus. Cook, uncovered, 1 minute. Drain; rinse with cold water. Drain on paper towels.
2) Lightly grease a 2-quart rectangular baking dish; set aside. In a large skillet heat oil. Add mushrooms, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook, uncovered, over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes or until nearly all liquid has evaporated. Set aside.
3) In a bowl toss together the Swiss cheese and dillweed.
4) Cover bottom of baking dish with half of the bread sticks. Top with half of the mushrooms, half of the cheese mixture, and half of the asparagus. Repeat with remaining mushrooms, cheese mixture, and asparagus. Top with remaining bread pieces.
5) In a bowl beat together eggs and half-and-half. Pour mixture over layers in dish. Press lightly with back of a spoon to thoroughly moisten bread. Sprinkle grated cheese over top. Cover and chill 2 hours. Bake, uncovered, in a 325 degree F oven about 45 minutes or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

To Make Ahead: Layer the strata and pour the egg mixture over layers. Cover and chill up to 24 hours. Bake, uncovered, as directed above.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Asparagus and White Bean Salad - One Perfect Bite
Penne with Asparagus and Lemon Sauce - One Perfect Bite
Asparagus Soup - One Perfect Bite

61 comments :

chamki said...

Very very attractive, i am going to make it.
Ciao!

Ren- Lady Of The Arts said...

I have never made a strata- this looks so good-

Jeannie said...

Very nice! I love the look of it!

La Bella Cooks said...

This is beautiful and I love the idea of the fresh dill added in. Sounds perfect.

Angie's Recipes said...

Another great spring recipe from you..can't get enough asparagus!

Federica Simoni said...

la foto mette fame solo a guardare!!!bravissima!!ciao!

My Little Space said...

This strata sounds fantastic especially with asparagus. Love the flavour so much. Have a great day!
Cheers, Kristy

Priya Suresh said...

Such a tempting strata, yet to try..

Sushma Mallya said...

looks beautiful, never tried it till now but would love to have it...

KathyB. said...

I bought enough asparagus to make the soup recipe you posted last week and then some, so this looks like another very good recipe to try. I will let you know how the soup turns out for me , I can't wait to make and eat it!

giorno26 ¸¸.•*¨*•. said...

Hi Mary,
dalla foto questo piatto deve essere veramente molto delizioso.
Non ho mai provato gli asparagi in questo modo, ma credo che sarebbe divertente poterlo praparare e delizioso da gustare !!
Buona giornata.
PS :
Ma come fai ad avere tutte queste idee così originali ?
Sei una cuoca provetta o un'appassionata di cucina ?
Buona giornata :-))

MaryMoh said...

Looks like a piece of dessert...beautiful :D I love anything with eggs. Love that it's so thick. Love the texture. Must be very delicious. I often make steamed eggs with some minced meat to eat with rice.

Diane said...

Yummy. Diane

Anonymous said...

I think it's my engineer training that makes me just as curious about the process as the result. And the project manager side loves anything that you can assemble ahead of time. As always, great photography!

Salsa Verde said...

Hi Mary,
This Strata must be stunning in flavour!
Love,
Lia.

pigpigscorner said...

oh my...this looks really yummy!

Allie and Pattie said...

Stratas and frittatas are a wonderful mainstay when company is coming. This looks lovely Mary
xoxo Pattie

Julie said...

Beautiful strata! The flavors sounds wonderful. I am sad aspargus season is coming to an end here!

Martha said...

I like vegetable stratas like this one. And I agree, they are so easy to do for breakfast company! And you can serve meat on the side (if you want) and they seem so much lighter than the sausage and cheese ones! I will have to try this next time I have company --

Martha

Deana Sidney said...

Mary, I love stratas and never make enough of them. They are such a great and satisfying meal. lovely closeup, too!

Unknown said...

The strata looks beautiful. Thanks for the idea for my next brunch. :)
Have a great day. Michael

FOODESSA said...

Stratas are big winners in my brunch menus...exactly due to the fact that not only do I get praises for it ;O)...it all got done the day before!!!
Your ingredients are making me famished right now.
I better go prepare myself an exciting tiny breafast;O)
Ciao for now and flavourful wishes, Claudia

♥ Kathy said...

It looks really pretty Mary

Yvonne @ StoneGable said...

This is my kind of meal! So beautiful, can be made ahead and can feed a crowd.
Yummy x's 3!
Yvonne

Mary | Deep South Dish said...

Sure wouldn't mind a square of that!

Cherine said...

Gorgeous strata!! sounds perfect!!

CaSaundraLeigh said...

I love stratas because they involve minimal work and the results are always great--I love how you incorporated asparagus into this!

Biren said...

I would love to wake up to this Mary. It looks absolutely so good.

Haden News said...

What a beautiful Strata! Can't wait to try this!!

Ciao Chow Linda said...

I've made stratas with ham, with sausage, with cheese but never with asparagus and mushrooms. What a great idea and lovely photo.

A SPICY PERSPECTIVE said...

Lovely Dish! I can tell it tastes even better than it looks!

Tasha said...

Stratas are my go-to for brunch. I love how you can easily adapt them depending on your crowd's tastes and the fact they are assembled the night before makes for a much easier morning! I've never thought of making one with asparagus- sounds great!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

unds perfect for company Mary, it has that extra touch:D

Rachana said...

What a gorgeous and flavourful Strata!

Monet said...

Thank you for visiting my site...I'm glad it led me to yours! I think this looks perfect, and I just adore asparagus and mushrooms so I'm sure I would love it.

Big Dude said...

This sounds like a real winner. I especially like the make the night before aspect.

Pam said...

I've never made a strata - this looks wonderful. I love mushrooms and asparagus together.

Cathy said...

Asparagus and mushrooms are a tasty addition to our favorite strata. I usually go for the big spears, but the little ones would be perfect in this dish.

Cooking with Kait said...

Hi Mary, another great recipe. I love that this can be made ahead of time.

Susi's Kochen und Backen said...

I love a good strata! Yours looks delicious for sure and how can you go wrong with dill?

Abby said...

This looks so wonderful! I love asparagus, but it's disappearing around here because it's just so hot. Bookmarking this for next spring!

Joe Ambrosino said...

From the picture, it appears that the eggs kind of melted into the bread. Did you cut the crusts off? This might be a good idea for Fathers Day brunch.Thanks, Mary.

The Red Umbrella said...

You've done it to me again. Yum, yum!

Joanne said...

I truly love a good strata. The bread pudding-like texture...dreamy. I love the asparagus/mushroom filling! Perfect for this wonderful asparagus season we're having.

Tia said...

asparagus and mushrooms are my 2 faves!

From the Kitchen said...

Mary, I agree that it's very nice to have make ahead brunch dishes so as to enjoy being a hostess. Add a fruit salad, a couple of quick breads and voila!

Best,
Bonnie

Carla and Michael said...

I too have never made a strata. One with asparagus though would be a good starting point. Looks delicious.

Pam said...

Mary, you did it again! I love strata's and especially with asparagus and mushrooms. It looks delicious! Great! Hope you're having a wonderful day!

Juliana said...

Wow, so pretty the strata...love the ingredients in it...must be so tasty :-)

tasteofbeirut said...

Mary

This strata looks very impressive and -big bonus- it is easier to make than a quiche from scratch! Love it. Great idea to take advantage of the bounty while you can!

Ana Powell said...

So impressive, fantastic work ♥

Choclette said...

I've not heard of strata before, it sounds a great idea and I love the combination of this one.

Devaki said...

How wonderful Mry, it has been ages since I made a strata and you have inspired me to.

Love your fresh farmer's market produce that enriches it :)

Ciao, Devaki @ weavethousandflavors

Jen_from_NJ said...

Your photo is amazing! I do not make stratas enough - they are so convenient and asparagus with mushrooms sounds delicious,

The Blonde Duck said...

I've never tried a strata. The first time I heard of one was in that movie, The Family Stone.

Weird movie. I only watched it b/c my SIL said she treated me like Rachel McAdams treats Sarah J. Parker.

And she did.

FoodontheTable said...

I love all of these asparagus recipes! This strata looks great.

zerrin said...

Stunning picture! Never tried starta before, but I love all the ingredients combined. Thank for the recipe, it's in my list now.

The Cilantropist said...

I tried to make a strata once, and despite the fact that everyone says they are fool-proof mine was a flop. :( I know I did something wrong, so I need to take a lesson from your lovely strata and give it a go again!

Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...

Mary, this sound really delicious, bookmark this recipe, will prepare for my kids.

Unknown said...

this sounds and looks like an incredible recipe. I can't wait to give it a try

StephenC said...

This strata is right up my alley. Now, if I only ate breakfast. There is brunch however.

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