Ingredients
- 6 cups cubed day-old French bread, with crust
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
- 2 Tablespoons cooking oil
- 3/4 pound Spicy Italian Sausage
- 2 large shallots, halved and thinly sliced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- one 10-ounce bag frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 10 large eggs
- 2 cups grated aged Gruyere cheese
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- fresh basil, chopped
- fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Put the bread on a baking sheet and toast until lightly golden brown on both sides, about 10 minutes. Remove and let cool. Cut into 3/4-inch cubes. Set aside.
- Combine the butter and oil in a large saute pan over medium heat and cook until it begins to shimmer. Add the shallots, toss to coat in the butter, and then add the salt and pepper. Cook the shallots, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Place a small amount of cooking oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Remove sausage casing. Crumble sausage into the pan and allow to cook until the meat browns and there is no pink. Drain the meat into a strainer to eliminate grease and oil. Pat dry with a paper towel to further remove grease. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, 1/2 cup cheese, milk, heavy cream, mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and nutmeg. Add the bread cubes and gently combine. Set aside for 20 minutes.
- Butter a 9 by 13-inch decorative baking dish. Pour 1/2 of the egg/milk/bread mixture in the dish, and then sprinkle 1 cup cheese, half of the spinach, onions, and sausage on top of the mixture.
- Add the other half of the egg/milk/bread mixture on top, and then evenly sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese, spinach, onions and sausage.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake the strata uncovered until the mixture has puffed up slightly, is golden brown on top and doesn’t shimmy with uncooked custard when you shake the pan, about 1 hour. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheese over the top during the last 10 minutes of baking. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
- Sprinkle a handful of fresh parsley and basil on top of the strata before serving. Enjoy!
About Simply, Suzanne’s at Home:
Suzanne is the thoughts and words behind the postings on http://simplysuzannes.blogspot.com/. She is a wife and mom of four beautiful children that she completely adores. She is a girl who admires and adores tradition, loves family, and is truly passionate about cooking, baking, and entertaining.
Her blog’s name Simply, Suzanne was actually inspired by a dear friend, Frances, who wrote Suzanne a thank you note for dropping off a bag of home-baked food for her and her family who were recovering from being sick. In her note she wrote that everything was baked, packaged, tied, and labeled in just the way that Suzanne does things . . . and wrote that the home-baked gift was just that . . . Simply, Suzanne.
Although Simply, Suzanne’s started as a canvas to share recipes and entertaining ideas with family and friends . . . it has somewhat evolved into a food and entertaining diary for Suzanne’s daughters. Although they are too young to read the postings . . . Suzanne’s hope and goal is to publish the many posts that she has shared over the years, and will continue to share, in a book that she can give them when they are wives and mothers themselves. Suzanne is excited for her daughters to have her favorite recipes, and read of her passions, and culinary and entertaining adventures during their growing years.
Suzanne hopes you join her in my culinary and entertaining journey to perfect recipes and master entertaining. But most of all, she hopes you find inspiration in her blog! Click here to visit Simply Suzanne’s at Home.
