This is a two for one blog post today. Last minute plans had Mr. Wonderful and I running to Lansing for the weekend to celebrate his kid sister FINALLY (as her father puts it) graduating from MSU, Mother’s Day, Mr. Wonderful’s mother’s birthday, and my new job. Whew! Nice to celebrate!
I’m going to air a little dirty laundry, The Wonderful Family is a little bit difficult to pin down in terms of actual PLANS, so late Friday night we decided on brunch at the Wonderful’s Farm (#walterthewonderdog loves it there). My portion of brunch was relatively painless and I made it ahead. Goat Cheese & Asparagus Strata and Paula Deen’s Baked French Toast Casserole. Win-win.
Warning these are not healthy recipes!
PAULA DEEN’S FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE
- 1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 1 cup skim milk
- 2 tablespoons Splenda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Dash salt
- Praline Topping, recipe follows
- Maple syrup
Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla,cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.
PRALINE TOPPING
- 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 2 tablespoons light agave nectar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.
Goat Cheese Asparagus Strata
Adapted from Epicurious.com’s Prosciutto and Goat Cheese Strata
- 18 slices firm white bread (original recipe calls for English muffin bread crust free, I used French with crust)
- 1 # asparagus tips, chopped
- 8 ounces Dancing Goat, goat cheese from Dogwood Farms in Byron Center , crumbled
- 4 ounces provolone, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- 6 T thinly sliced fresh basil or 3 T dried
- 6 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced*
- 5 large eggs
- 2 c half and half
- 1 T Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 T butter, melted
Line bottom of 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish completely with 1 layer of bread, cutting some slices to fit. Arrange half of prosciutto evenly over bread. Sprinkle half of goat cheese and half of provolone over. Sprinkle with half of green onions and half of basil. Top with second layer of bread. Layer remaining prosciutto, goat cheese, provolone, green onions, and basil atop bread. Cut remaining bread into 1/4-inch cubes. Sprinkle over top.
Whisk eggs, milk, mustard, and salt in bowl. Season with pepper. Pour egg mixture over strata; press down on bread with spatula. Drizzle melted butter over strata. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Uncover strata and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Bake until center is set, about 1 hour. Remove from oven. Preheat broiler. Place strata under broiler until top is golden, about 30 seconds. Cut into large squares and serve.
*for your meat-eating friends
Veg Bon Vivant 