Fontina Speck And Onion Strata Food

FONTINA, SPECK, AND ONION STRATA

Steps:

• Heat butter in a large high-sided skillet over high heat. Add onion, garlic, thyme; season with salt and pepper. Cook until lightly caramelized, 10 to 12 minutes (adjust heat if browning too quickly). Transfer onion mixture to a plate, and let cool.
• Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, milk, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Shingle bread slices in a 10-by-14-inch oval baking dish layering with cooked onion mixture, speck, and fontina cheese. Pour over egg mixture, pressing bread gently into liquid. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat a large piece of parchment with cooking spray. Cover strata with parchment, then with foil. Bake for 1 hour. Uncover and raise oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake until top is golden brown and crusty, 20 minutes more. Let rest for 15 minutes. Serve warm.

SPINACH-AND-FONTINA STRATA

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Fill pan with as much spinach as will fit; cook, stirring, adding remainder a handful at a time as space allows. When all the spinach is wilted, stir in pepper and nutmeg. Drain spinach in a sieve. When cool enough to handle, squeeze excess moisture from spinach by hand.
• Butter a 3-quart baking dish. Place a third of the bread in a single layer in dish. Top with half the spinach mixture and a third of the cheeses. Repeat layering with a third of the bread, remaining spinach mixture, and a third of the cheeses, then top with remaining bread.
• Whisk together 6 eggs, 2 cups milk, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and carefully pour over bread. Cover with parchment, and gently press down with hands until egg mixture soaks through top of bread. Cover parchment with foil, and refrigerate at least 8 hours and up to 2 days.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, remove strata from refrigerator, uncover, and let stand 30 minutes. Whisk together remaining 2 eggs and 2/3 cup milk, and pour over strata, gently pressing between layers of bread with a spoon or spatula to ensure that egg mixture seeps to bottom. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake until puffed and golden brown in places, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.