Strata In Puff Pastry Food

EASY BREAKFAST STRATA

Steps:

• Place bread cubes in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. In a large skillet, cook and crumble sausage with pepper and onion over medium-high heat until no longer pink, 5-7 minutes. With a slotted spoon, place sausage mixture over bread. Sprinkle with cheese., In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, mustard and milk; pour over top. Refrigerate, covered, overnight., Preheat oven to 350°. Remove strata from refrigerator while oven heats., Bake, uncovered, until a knife inserted in center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting. Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked casserole. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake casserole as directed, increasing time as necessary to heat through and for a thermometer inserted in center to read 165°.

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BREAKFAST STRATA

Steps:

• Use a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Cut the stale bread in cubes and place it on the baking dish.
• Add shredded cheese, but keep a handful of cheese to sprinkle on top of the dish before you bake it.
• Add meat and vegetables.
• Separately, beat the eggs and add milk or sour cream(according to your preference). Add salt and pepper to your taste.
• Mix well and pour over the bread.
• Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top and cover with foil.
• Place the dish in the refrigerator overnight.
• Next morning, preheat oven at 350F.
• Bring the dish to room temperature for about 30 minutes.
• Bake the strata for 40-45 minutes if you added milk and 35 minutes if you made it with sour cream.(See the notes on the blog about that).
• Check the temperature of the strata in the middle. It should be 160F. The dish is ready when it does not giggle in the middle when shaken. The color should be golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

STRATA IN PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Grease a 9-inch springform pan.
• Sauté shallots and garlic in butter for 4 minutes.
• Squeeze extra water from thawed spinach'til it is very dry.
• Mix together spinach, shallots and garlic.
• Roll out 2/3 of the puff pastry dough and line the prepared springform pan with it, letting pastry hang over the edge of the pan.
• Layer ham (or turkey or salmon), cheese, spinach mixture and peppers.
• Beat eggs, reserving 2 tbs, and pour the remainder over the peppers.
• Roll out the remaining puff pastry dough and place on top of the strata.
• Crimp the edges and seal.
• Cut slits in the top and brush with the reserved egg.
• Bake 45 minutes.

SHRIMP IN PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• Heat 2 tbs. butter and the oil in a skillet,and saute shrimp 2 to 3 minutes,depending on size, until bright pink.
• Remove to a bowl and set aside.
• Add onions to pan and cook over low heat til limp.
• Add remaining butter and saute mushrooms til soft.
• Add sherry and peppers.
• Cook gently for 2 minutes.
• Stir in tomato paste, cream, chili powder,salt, and pepper.
• Add the shrimp and simmer gently 2-3 minutes.
• Spoon the mixture into the split pastry puff diamonds.
• Garnish each with a shrimp and a drift of parsley.

ASPARAGUS GRUYERE TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 16-by-10-inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score pastry dough 1 inch in from the edges to mark a rectangle. Using a fork, pierce dough inside the markings at 1/2-inch intervals. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.
• Remove pastry shell from oven, and sprinkle with Gruyere. Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears to fit crosswise inside the tart shell; arrange in a single layer over Gruyere, alternating ends and tips. Brush with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until spears are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

PUFF-PASTRY CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine cheese and cayenne in a bowl.
• Lay each puff-pastry sheet flat on a lightly floured work surface. Roll out two 11-by-16-inch rectangles. Dividing evenly, brush with some of beaten eggs and sprinkle with cheese mixture. Using a pastry cutter or sharp paring knife, trim long ends to make even, then cut each rectangle crosswise into fifteen 1/2-inch-wide strips.
• Working with one at a time, twist each strip into a spiral and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, 1 inch apart. Using your thumb, press ends of strips onto parchment to prevent unraveling during baking. Chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Bake until pastry is golden, rotating sheets halfway through, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks before serving or storing.

PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• Put the flour and a pinch of salt in the food processor. Turn it on and steadily pour in 150ml of water. When the dough comes together, cover it in cling film and chill for 20 mins.
• Lightly flour your surface and roll the dough into a 25cm circle. Put the butter in between two pieces of baking parchment and soften it by tapping it with a rolling pin. Cut the butter in half and repeat the process until the butter is pliable but still cold. Reshape to the size roughly of a postcard.
• Put the butter in the centre of the pastry and fold over the right and left sides of the circle, overlapping in the middle. Press the dough with your rolling pin to make it longer and then lightly mark into thirds. Fold the bottom third up to cover the middle third and the top third down. Seal the dough gently by pressing down on the edges with your rolling pin. Give the dough a quarter turn.
• Roll the dough out to a long rectangle (roughly 18 x 38cm), keeping the edges square and the sides straight. Mark the dough into thirds again, fold the bottom third up and the top third down. Seal the edges and give the dough a quarter turn. Repeat one more time, cover and chill for 20 mins.
• Repeat step four twice more, chilling each time. Chill for one hour before using. Watch our puff pastry video for a Good Food tutorial.