Recipe(tried): Spinach, Ham and Gouda, Cheddar, Parmesan Cheese Strata

Happy 2011 to All!

With a large ham leftover from Christmas what does one do with leftovers? Well, there are omelets, Cuban Ham Spread, strata, sandwiches, noodles with ham and God knows what else I can come up with. My friend Susanne had posted pictures of her delicious Christmas Spinach, Ham & Cheese Strata and I was instantly inspired. I love sweet bread puddings and I adore savory ones like this one. I suppose one can substitute crispy bacon for ham and play around with other cheeses of your liking. Next time I will saute mushroom slices with the onion and garlic for an added depth and flavor. All in all, this is an excellent dish!

I did play around with the recipe a little since I love garlic in a savory dish. I also used a combination of cubed Hawaiian bread and French baguette and it came out amazing! This is as equally delicious as my famous Spinach Noodle Pudding, and we all know how good that is!! This is baked in a 3qt. casserole and yields a lot. This would be great to take to a dinner party or pot luck gathering. I ended up giving half of it away to my friend Carol and today we will enjoy leftovers with a side salad. It's even better the next day!

~G

SPINACH, HAM AND GOUDA, CHEDDAR, PARMESAN CHEESE STRATA
Serves 12-16

1 large sweet Vidalia onion, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
4 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen creamed spinach, thawed
9 eggs
1 3/4 cups milk
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 French baguette, cubed
1 Hawaiian Bread, cubed
2 cups cubed ham
8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
4 oz. Gouda cheese, grated

For the spinach-onion mixture, saute onion and garlic in butter until golden brown. Add seasonings and creamed spinach. Blend well. Set aside.

For the milk custard mixture, in a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, cream, mustard and parmesan. Set aside

Butter a 3 quart casserole well. Spread 1/3 of bread cubes on bottom, pressing down. Layer 1/3 of spinach-onion mixture, spread 1/3 of ham, 1/3 of cheese and repeat procedure twice, pressing down bread cubes each time. Pour the milk custard over the strata, letting it soak in. Let stand on counter 30 minutes so it soaks in real good.



Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F until it is nice and puffy. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Just fabulous!!!