The classic American brunch dish – ‘the love child of frittata and bread pudding’ – is given the masterclass treatment
A
lso known variously as “breakfast casserole” and “egg dish”, strata is an American brunch favourite that, according to the great US chef Sohla El-Waylly, is best described as “the love child of frittata and bread pudding”, while the dish’s name comes from the fact that it’s assembled in layers. Like all the best leftovers recipes, those layers are eminently flexible, but what all strata have in common are stale bread and eggs. The rest is largely up to you.
I’ll be honest, rich as it is, strata is not something I’d tackle before lunchtime, so I was relieved to read the late James Villas explain that, “in the South, a strata is traditionally served on an informal dinner buffet or at a casual supper”. Whenever you plan to enjoy it, however, note that, as per America’s favourite cookbook, The Joy of Cooking, if need be the ever amenable strata “can be assembled and refrigerated overnight, then baked the next day, leaving you nothing to do but brew the coffee”. Or mix the bloody marys.
This recipe should comfortably accommodate any savoury bread you wish to use up – rye bread, corn bread, even garlic bread will all give your strata a slightly different character – though I’d avoid anything too delicate, such as brioche. Samuel Goldsmith suggests sliced baguette in the spinach and tomato version in his Tinned Tomatoes Cookbook, there’s a smoked salmon one with bagels on Food52 and multiple croissant-based takes online.
