Caramelized Onion Bacon Strata Cups Food

CARAMELIZED ONION AND CANADIAN BACON STRATA

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add onion, and sauté 4 minutes.
• Reduce heat; cook 10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.
• Add bell pepper; cook for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat; stir in bacon.
• Arrange 3 cups bread in an 11x7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; top with half of onion mixture.
• Repeat layer with remaining bread and onion mixture.
• Combine milk and next 5 ingredients (milk through eggs) in a medium bowl; stir well with a whisk.
• Pour egg mixture over bread mixture, and top with the cheese.
• Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 375°F­.
• Let the casserole stand 30 minutes at room temperature.
• Uncover and bake at 375°F­ for 40 minutes or until golden brown.
• Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

CARAMELIZED ONION AND BREAKFAST SAUSAGE STRATA

Steps:

• Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up any clumps with a wooden spoon, until brown, about 5 minutes; transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Add the onion to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until very soft and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring often until golden brown, about 6 minutes more. Set aside.
• Whisk the half-and-half, Parmesan, eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper together in a large bowl.
• Layer half of the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups of the Muenster cheese, followed by the sausage-onion mixture. Cover with the remaining bread cubes and pour the half-and-half mixture evenly over top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. (This can also be assembled the day of; just let soak at room temperature 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking.)
• On the day of baking, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Let the strata sit at room temperature while the oven preheats. Remove the plastic and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Muenster cheese. Bake until slightly puffed and just no longer jiggly in the center, 40 to 50 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

CARAMELIZED BACON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil (for easy cleaning) and place a wire baking rack on top.
• Combine the brown sugar and pecans in a food processor and process until the pecans are finely ground. Add the salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper and pulse to combine. Add the maple syrup and pulse again to moisten the crumbs.
• Cut each bacon slice in half crosswise and line up the pieces on the baking rack without touching. With a small spoon, evenly spread the pecan mixture on top of each piece of bacon, using all of the mixture. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the topping is very browned but not burnt. If it's underbaked, the bacon won't crisp as it cools.
• While it's hot, transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside to cool. Serve at room temperature. (The caramelized bacon can be made early in the day and stored at room temperature.)

CARAMELIZED ONION, SPINACH AND GRUYERE STRATA WITH SAUTEED CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• 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.
• Meanwhile, heat the butter and canola oil in a large saute pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions and toss to coat, then add the sugar and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden brown and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
• In a large bowl, combine the toasted bread, caramelized onions and spinach. In another large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, heavy cream, 1 1/2 cups cheese, the mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, the thyme and nutmeg. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add the bread mixture to the baking dish, then pour the egg mixture over the bread and press down to make sure it is totally submerged.
• Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake the strata, uncovered, until it is golden brown on top, puffed slightly and doesn't shimmy with uncooked custard when you shake the pan, 50 minutes to 1 hour; sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese during the last 10 minutes of baking. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
• Meanwhile, prepare the tomatoes: Heat the canola oil in a large saute pan over high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the cherry tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the chives and remove from the heat. Serve the strata with the sauteed tomatoes.

BACON AND ONION STRATA

Steps:

• Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Put the bacon in a large skillet then cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crispy, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings. Add the onion to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until very soft and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 6 minutes more. Set aside.
• Whisk the half-and-half, Parmesan, eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and few grinds of pepper together in a large bowl.
• Layer half of the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups of the Swiss, followed by the bacon-onion mixture. Cover with the remaining bread cubes and pour the half-and-half mixture evenly over top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. (This can also be assembled the day of; just let soak at room temperature 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking.)
• On the day of baking, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Let the strata sit at room temperature while the oven preheats. Remove the plastic and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Swiss. Bake until slightly puffed and just no longer jiggly in the center, 40 to 50 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

CARAMELIZED ONION & BACON STRATA CUPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray 12-cup muffin pan thoroughly with non-stick canola oil spray.
• Cook bacon until crispy according to package directions. Reserve 1-2 Tbsp (15-30 mL) fat. Drain bacon on paper towel then roughly chop. Set aside.
• In a large nonstick skillet, heat the reserved bacon fat over medium-high. Add diced onion and red pepper. Sauté 10-15 minutes, stirring often, or until well caramelized. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute longer. Transfer to large mixing bowl to cool slightly.
• In small bowl, whisk together eggs and cream. Add to caramelized onion mixture along with bacon and remaining ingredients; stir well to combine. Let stand for 5 minutes, stirring several times, or until egg and cream is absorbed.
• Divide mixture evenly between the 12 muffin cups. Bake for 20-24 minutes or until egg is set. Carefully run a knife around each strata to loosen. Remove them from the pan using the tip of a knife. Serve warm.

CANADIAN BACON STRATA

Steps:

• Spray a shallow 2-quart baking dish ( oval or square)with cooking spray; set aside.
• In dish, alternately arrange, cut side down, muffin pieces and Canadian bacon.
• Sprinkle with cheeses and set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, mustard, 1/2 t. salt, a pinch of pepper, and hot sauce until well combined.
• Pour over muffins and bacon.
• Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least two hours.
• *Refrigerating overnight will give you an especially custardy consistancy.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet;remove plastic wrap.
• Bake until puffed and set in the center( a paring knife inserted in the center will come out clean) for about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
• Tent loosely with foil if strata starts to brown too quickly.
• Let stand 10 minutes before cutting and serving.