Ham And Cheese Croissant Strata Food

HAM 'N' CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Arrange six slices of bread in the bottom of a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Top with ham and cheese. Cover with remaining bread. , In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt, pepper and cayenne. Stir in onion and green pepper; pour over all. Cover and refrigerate overnight. , Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Pour butter over bread; sprinkle with cornflakes. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

HAM AND CHEESE CROISSANT STRATA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.
• In baking dish, arrange croissant bottoms, cut sides up, in single layer. Top each with 1 slice Swiss cheese. Sprinkle with ham. Cover with croissant tops, cut sides down.
• In large bowl, beat eggs, milk, mustard, salt and pepper with whisk. Pour over croissants. Sprinkle with Gruyère cheese.
• Bake 35 minutes or until browned and set. Garnish with chives. Serve immediately.

CHEESY HAM AND MUSHROOM STRATA

Steps:

• Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Whisk the half-and-half, Parmesan and 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 Swiss cheese, followed by the cooked mushrooms and the ham. 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 cheese. Bake until slightly puffed and just no longer jiggly in the center, 40 to 50 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

HAM AND CHEESE CROISSANT

Steps:

• Spread cut sides of croissant with mustard. Layer ham, cheese, pear, and watercress on bottom half. Top with remaining half croissant.
• Wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until ready to serve, up to overnight.

HAM AND CHEESE CROISSANTS

Steps:

• Arrange racks in the upper third and lower thirds of the oven. Bring a skillet of water to a simmer over medium-high heat. Transfer the skillet to the floor of the oven and close the door. (The steam released inside the oven will create an ideal proofing environment for the pastries.) Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• Let the dough sit for 5 minutes at room temperature. Unwrap (save the plastic wrap for proofing) and place on a very lightly floured surface. If the dough has shrunk during chilling, roll it out again to a slab that's 16 inches long and 15 inches wide. Dust off any excess flour.
• Use a wheel cutter to trim 1/2 inch of dough from all four sides, straightening and squaring them off, creating a slab that's 15 inches long by 14 inches wide. Using a ruler, cut the slab lengthwise into 5 equal strips each measuring 3 inches wide. Cut each strip in half crosswise, creating 10 rectangles.
• Working with one rectangle of dough at a time, cover one half with a slice of ham, folding it as needed to leave a 1/2-inch border along the short side. Then, top with 1/2 ounce (2 tablespoons) of the cheese. Roll the dough into a snug spiral, starting at the end with the ham and cheese, then transfer the spiral to one of the prepared baking sheets, resting it on the seam. Repeat with the remaining dough, ham and cheese, dividing between the sheets and spacing evenly. Very loosely cover with plastic wrap so the pastries have some room to expand.
• Open the oven and stick your hand inside: It should be humid but not hot, as the water in the skillet will have cooled. You want the pastries to proof at 70 to 75 degrees (any hotter and the butter will melt, leading to a denser pastry). Gently place the baking sheets inside the oven on the two racks and let the pastries proof until they're doubled in size, extremely puffy and jiggle delicately on the baking sheet, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• When the pastries are proofed, remove the baking sheets from the oven and carefully uncover them. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 20 minutes while you heat the oven. Remove the skillet from the oven and heat to 375 degrees.
• In a small bowl, stir the yolks and heavy cream until streak-free. Remove the baking sheets from the refrigerator and use a pastry brush to gently brush the surfaces of each pastry with the yolk mixture. Transfer the sheets to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets and switch racks and continue to bake until the pastries are deeply browned, another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheets.

HAM AND CHEESE CROISSANT CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Spray 10-inch glass deep-dish pie plate with cooking spray. Cut croissants in half lengthwise; cut each half into 5 pieces. Place pieces in pie plate. Sprinkle with ham and cheese.
• In large bowl, beat eggs, half-and-half, honey, mustard, salt, pepper and nutmeg with whisk.
• Pour egg mixture over ingredients in pie plate; press croissant pieces into egg mixture to moisten completely. Cover tightly with foil; refrigerate at least 8 hours but no longer than 24 hours.
• Heat oven to 325°F. Bake casserole covered 35 minutes. Uncover; bake 25 to 30 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

HAM AND CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Place 6 slices of the bread in a 13"x9" inch baking pan or dish.
• Top with 6 cheese slices, half of the onions, and half of the ham.
• Top with 6 slices of bread, 6 slices of cheese and remaining onions and ham.
• Top with 6 slices of bread.
• Combine eggs, milk and seasonings.
• Pour over the strata, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
• Bake at 300° for 1 1/2 hours.
• Top each cheese stack with a tomato slice during the last 20 minutes in the oven.