Beecher's Breakfast Strata | culture: the word on cheese
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Beecher’s Breakfast Strata

and | December 27, 2014
This article is from: Winter 2014

Beecher's Breakfast Strata

Kurt Beecher Dammeier
This strata has everything a strata should: a crusty brown top, a creamy center, and savory, full flavors. Stratas are perfect uses for dinner and cheese board leftovers. Feel free to use any meat, salsa or other acidic sauce, and cheese. Serve with fresh fruit.
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Ingredients
  

  • 6 large eggs
  • 1 ½ cups milk
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 cups of cubed bread can be a few days old 12 ounces Beecher’s Flagship cheese, grated (2¾ cups), divided
  • 4 ounces Beecher’s Just Jack cheese grated (1 cup)
  • 6 ounces cooked meat; can be any leftover meat fish, or bacon
  • ½ bunch rough-chopped cilantro
  • One 12-ounce jar salsa

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oven to 350°F.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Fold in bread, 2 cups of Flagship cheese, and the Just Jack cheese, and set aside.
  • If using leftover meat, chop it into approximately ½-inch chunks. If using bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces, and fry over medium heat until fully browned and all fat is rendered.
  • Add the cooked meat, cilantro, and salsa to the bread mixture. Gently fold ingredients until they are evenly distributed. Spoon the mixture into the baking dish, and pat it down (the bread should form a bumpy surface). Top with remaining Flagship cheese.
  • Bake for 35 minutes, rotating the pan after 20 minutes. Bake until the top of the dish is very brown and the middle is springy. Let strata cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Kristine Jannuzzi

Food and travel writer Kristine Jannuzzi (aka @nyccheesechick) fell for formaggio the first time she tasted Pecorino Toscano in Florence some 20 years ago. She has been a frequent Culture contributor since 2013, and her work has also been published in La Cucina Italiana, Italy Magazine, and British Heritage Travel, among others. A bilingual dual American and Italian citizen, Kristine currently hosts private cheese tastings and visits to cheesemakers in Tuscany.

Michael Harlan Turkell

Photographer Michael Harlan Turkell

Michael Harlan Turkell, a once aspiring chef, now photographer, captures the inner workings of kitchens. As former photo editor of Edible Brooklyn and Edible Manhattan, his recurring BACK OF THE HOUSE series appeared in the magazines from 2006 – 2011. Michael’s been nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award in Visual Storytelling, included in 25 Under 25: Up-and-Coming American Photographers V2, (PowerHouse Books), received a Photo District News Photo Annual Award, and has had his photos printed in an array of publications, and cookbooks. Learn more about Michael at http://harlanturk.com/

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