Spinach and Gruyere Strata

A very successful Easter. Nice weather, great food and family, it doesn't get much better than that! Everything for the brunch came out delicious and I managed to get most of it done ahead of time and was not stressed when the guests arrived.  Thankfully the weather was warm and sunny so we all spent time outside playing Bocce Ball and Scattergories. Looking forward to hosting again next year.

I will be posting a few recipes this week, that were favorites among guests at the brunch. Below is a recipe for Spinach and Cheese Strata. This is similar to a savory bread pudding. It is creamy and fluffy in the middle from the baked eggs and melted cheese and the top bakes to a crispy perfection. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

Layla and Aunt Kim

Spinach and Cheese Strata
Serves 15-16
Ingredients:
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1½ cups onion, finely chopped
2 (10 oz.) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 tsp. salt, divided
½ tsp. pepper, divided
Dash freshly grated nutmeg
8 cups cubed French or Italian bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
6 oz. coarsely grated Gruyere (about 2 cups)
2 oz. finely grated Parmesan (about 2/3 cup)
9 large eggs
2¾ cup milk

Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions to the pan and saute until soft; about 5 minutes.  Add  in 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and nutmeg; cook for 1 minute more.  Remove from heat and stir in the spinach. Set aside.

Butter the inside of a baking dish (2 1/2-3 qt).  Layer the bottom of the dish with one third of the bread cubes. Top with one third of the spinach mixture and one third of each of the cheeses.  Repeat these layers twice more with the bread, spinach and cheese.

In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread and spinach layered in the baking dish.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 8 hours or up to 1 day.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.  Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Bake uncovered until  golden brown and cooked through, 45-55 minutes.  Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving.

Source: Annie-eats.com, originally from Gourmet, February 2003

Coconut Macaroons

Happy Passover! Here is a recipe for macaroons. (These are not kosher for Passover because they contain flour, but there are a lot of macaroon recipes without flour) I have made these for a few parties and they are always a favorite among guests.

If you would like to make these chocolate dipped macaroons, melt semi-sweet chocolate chips over double boiler or in microwave, dip the bottoms of the cooled cookies in the chocolate and cool on wax paper.

**Cooking Tip: If you do not have cake flour on hand, this is how you can make it from all purpose flour: This recipe is for 1 cup of cake flour. 
In a dry measuring cup, place 2 level tablespoons of cornstarch. Fill the rest of the cup with all-purpose flour using the proper method of measuring flour. Once the "cake flour" is added to the dry ingredients, be sure to sift together a few times.



Coconut Macaroons (Recipe from Flour by Joanne Chang)
Makes 24

Macaroons: Bottom Right 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp cake flour
Pinch of kosher salt
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Two (14oz) bags of sweetened shredded coconut
6 egg whites
1 cup sugar
Pinch of kosher salt

1. To make the pastry cream: In a small sauce pan, scald the milk over med-high heat. (bubbles start to form around the edge, but milk does not boil). While the milk is heating, in a small bowl stir together the sugar, flour and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks until blended, then slowly whisk in flour mixture. The mixture will be thick and pasty.

2. Remove the milk from heat and slowly add it to the egg/flour mixture; whisking constantly. When all the components have been incorporated, return the contents to the sauce pan and place over medium heat. Whisk vigorously for 1 minute, or until mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap, placing it directly on the cream, and let cool completely.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with butter.

4. In a large bowl, combine coconut, egg whites, sugar, salt and pastry cream. Stir with wooden spoon, until combined. (The dough can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

5. Using a 1/4 dry-measuring cup or large spoon, scoop the dough in rounded mounds on baking sheet.

6. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on baking sheet on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes, then transfer cookies to rack to cool completely.

7. These cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days, at room temperature.

Tom's Hot and Spicy Home Fries

On a rare occasion, I get a delicious breakfast prepared by my husband Tom. He is really great cook and has a lot more patience than I do when it comes to cooking. He recently made me these awesome home fries with eggs and bacon...yum! They were very hot and spicy! I have added options to tone down the spice level for this recipe. Hope you enjoy.

Tom's Spicy Home Fries
Serves 4

Ingredients:
Olive oil
4 Yukon Gold potatoes-1/2' dice
1 bell pepper-chopped
1/2 onion-chopped
1 jalapeno-diced (you can use 1/2 a jalapeno to reduce heat or leave it out)
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (use 1/2 tsp to reduce heat)
Salt and pepper-to taste
1 tsp paprika

1. Coat the bottom of a non-stick skillet with olive oil and heat to medium-high. Add in diced potatoes and cook until slightly golden brown; stirring frequently; about 10 minutes. (Do not rush this step)

2. Once the potatoes are golden brown, add in pepper, jalapeno and onion and cook until softened; 8 minutes. (Add more oil if necessary) Season with salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and paprika.


3. Turn the heat to medium-low and continue to cook; stirring frequently, until potatoes are cook through and they have a nice crispy exterior. Re-season to taste.

Margarita Short Bread Cookies

I love making cookies. They are the perfect treat for entertaining. My mom got this recipe for me after tasting these cookies in her office one day. I have now made these at almost every holiday or special occasion. They are always a big hit at parties and would be perfect for Easter.

These cookies are delicate, buttery and crunchy. They are flavored with fresh lime and orange zest with a hint of tequila. They are then rolled into a sugar and salt mixture to create a sweet and salty rim. These cookies can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container.

Take a look at my post of dessert platters for entertaining: 
http://souschefbaby.blogspot.com/2011/12/dessert-platters.html

Margarita Short Bread Cookies
Makes 50 Cookies (prep time 15 minutes, 2h30m chill time, 14 minutes bake time)

Ingredients: 
2 sticks unsalted butter-room temperature
2/3 cup confectioners sugar
2 egg yolks-separated and at room temperature
Pinch of salt
2 tsp tequila
Zest of 2 limes
Zest of 1/2 orange
2 cups flour
1/2 cup coarse sugar and 1-2 tsp coarse salt

1. In a stand mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Sift in confectioners sugar and mix until incorporated. Beat in 1 egg yolk, salt, lime zest, orange zest and tequila. Slowly beat in the flour and mix until incorporated.

2. Divide dough in half, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Form each half into a log 1"- 1 1/4" thick. Re-wrap each log and chill in refrigerator for 2 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.

5. Whisk egg yolk until smooth. Mix sugar and salt in a shallow dish or on wax paper. Brush the tops of the cookie logs with egg and cover the entire log with sugar/salt mixture.

6. Slice 1/4" thick cookies and place on backing sheet. Bake 10-14 minutes until slightly golden brown.

Baked Onions with Gruyere Cheese

I am hosting my first holiday this year...Easter. I have always loved this holiday and have visions of hosting Easter brunch in the years ahead while Layla (and hopefully some cousins one of these days) have a big Easter egg hunt in the yard.

On the menu this year will be french toast souffle, spinach and Gruyere Strata, yogurt with berries and granola, scones, a large ham, salad and sides, bread and cheese, along with various cocktails, coffee and desserts.

Over the next week, I will be posting some recipes that I think would be perfect for entertaining a crowd. I hope you enjoy.

This recipe doesn't necessarily work for brunch but would be perfect for Easter dinner or any special occasion. This recipe has become one of our family favorites and goes really well with red meat. This is one of those recipes that I will be passing down one day. It is very easy to make and requires very little hands on time.


Bakes Onions with Gruyere Cheese
Makes 6 servings (2 halves per person)

Ingredients:
6 small to medium yellow onions-peeled and cut in half
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
2/3 cup beef stock
2-3 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 grated Gruyere cheese (you can add more to taste)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a 13" x 9" baking dish place onion halves cut side up. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 45-50 minutes; until soft.

2. Remove onions from the oven and drizzle with 2/3 cup of beef stock and soy sauce. Place back in the oven and bake an additional 1 hour.

3. Sprinkle with cheese and broil until melted.