Most strata are made with cheese and spinach – and are delicious. I tried this one as a dessert or brunch strata and it worked so well that I wanted to share it with you. The only downside is that it requires a little planning – but that is a positive for me – as I like making stuff in advance so that there is less to do when guests are already here. This requires a night in the refrigerator – you can plan for that can’t you? Not a biggie….
Strawberry Strata
Ingredients:
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12 slices day-old french bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup fresh strawberries
12 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1/3 cup maple syrup
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1 cup fresh strawberries
1 tablespoon butter
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| 1. | Spray Pam butter spray into a 9×13 inch baking dish. Arrange half the bread cubes in the dish, and top with cream cheese cubes. Sprinkle 1 cup strawberries over the cream cheese, and top with remaining bread cubes. |
| 2. | In a large bowl, mix the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and syrup. Pour over the bread cubes. Cover, and refrigerate overnight. |
| 3. | Remove the bread cube mixture from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F |
| 4. | Cover, and bake 30 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking 25 to 30 minutes, until center is firm and surface is lightly browned. This is now cooked strata. |
| 5. | In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, cook 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in the remaining 1 cup strawberries. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, until the fruit is macerated ( soft). Stir in the butter, and pour over the baked strata |
Here is our crop of Little Farm Strawberries. They are not as perfect as the ones we get in the market but they taste a LOT better! Of course this is not the time of year when we grow them, so we do buy them at the market for this dish. But ( unlike on the East coast and most of the Northern Hemisphere) California is experiencing great sunny and warm weather so all the blossoms are blooming at the Little Farm and we are already thinking SPRING~!!!!!
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