BY JESS THOMSON
Serves 6 | Start to finish: 45 minutes
from Edible Seattle July/August 2010
Here’s a make-ahead strata that shines with tiny tomatoes and zucchini (or whatever else your garden is producing right now). You can buy a baguette just for the occasion and let it sit out overnight, to dry it out, but I love to use up all the old bread heels that somehow end up congregating in the corner of my freezer. At Seattle-area farmer’s markets, look for chicken breakfast sausage from Stokesbury Farms.
Recipe
4 large eggs
3/4 cup half and half
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Butter (for the pan)
1/2 day-old baguette, cut into 1″ cubes (or 4 cups of assorted bread cubes)
1 cup (about 4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1 small zucchini, chopped into 1/2″ pieces
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 heaping cup cooked, crumbled sausage (from 1 large sausage, about 1/3 pound)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Steps
Whisk the eggs, half and half, milk, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper together in a mixing bowl. Butter an 8″ x 8″ casserole dish (or similar), and arrange the baguette chunks in an even layer in the dish. Scatter the feta, zucchini, tomatoes, and sausage evenly over the bread, then pour the egg mixture over everything, turning and scooping so that all the bread pieces are moistened. Top with the cheddar. Cover with foil and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight.
Before baking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the foil and bake for about an hour, or until the top layer is toasted and melty and the middle is firm. Serve warm.