Recipe

The complete easy all vegetarian holiday brunch

The complete easy all vegetarian holiday brunch

Photo by Sagegreen

  • This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Holiday Breakfast II
  • Chef

    Sagegreen's Notes: On a quest for a simple yet sublime brunch for the holidays I have decided that this is it for me. I hope you like it as well. It consists of a hot, savory, tangy vegetarian cheese strata...

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Serves 4-6

Fruit slaw:

1 cup matchstick-style sliced firm mango Ask a question about this ingredient

1 cup matchstick-style sliced and peeled crisp Asian pear Ask a question about this ingredient

juice of 1 lime Ask a question about this ingredient

1 or 2 tbl. Domaine de Canton, to taste...and maybe half a teaspoon of fresh grated ginger Ask a question about this ingredient

1/3 cup chiffonade of fresh spearmint Ask a question about this ingredient

  1. Toss the sliced mango and pear matchsticks gently together so they are evenly mixed. If you like add a tiny pinch of coarse salt. Pour over the lime juice to coat the skin of the fruit matchsticks. Let this sit for at least 10 minutes. As a variation you could sneak in some fresh grated ginger, about half a teaspoon.

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  2. Add the Domaine ginger liqueur. Keep chilled until serving.Gently toss in the fresh mint leaves you have rolled and snipped just before serving.

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Perfect strata:

3 cups of stale cubed challah bread Ask a question about this ingredient

1 cup of thinly sliced yellow onion, to caramelize nicely in butter Ask a question about this ingredient

pinch of your favorite salt Ask a question about this ingredient

a few tablespoons of unsalted butter Ask a question about this ingredient

4 farm fresh eggs, room temperature Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup of great quality half and half (or your own cream and milk mix) Ask a question about this ingredient

1 1/2 cup buttermilk Ask a question about this ingredient

1 tbl. Dijon mustard Ask a question about this ingredient

4 oz. of goat cheese, chevre Ask a question about this ingredient

pinch of fresh grated nutmeg and fresh cracked pepper Ask a question about this ingredient

a few tablespoons of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Ask a question about this ingredient

  1. Air your stale challah cubes for a few hours to dry out the pieces further. If your challah is not stale, then you can lightly heat the cubes in the oven for about 5 minutes. Dry them out without browning and cool completely, if you must heat them.

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  2. Add the salt to the onion slices. Heat a few tablespoons of butter in your pan and then slowly caramelize the thin onion slices. Cook until perfectly caramelized to a lovely brown color and set aside.

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  3. Preheat the oven to 350. Whisk the eggs with the half and half, buttermilk, and mustard until smooth. For a variation, you can add 1- 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh herbs (such as Italian parsley and dill) into the whisked liquid.

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  4. In a lightly buttered baking dish (@13") add the bread cubes. Fold in the caramelized onions. Break up the chevre into half teaspoon-sized pieces and dot the strata with it. Pour the egg-milk mixture over the bread-onion-chevre.

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  5. Top with the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a pinch of fresh grated nutmeg, coarse salt to taste, and pepper. If you are caraway fans, you could add a sprinkle on top for a variation. Bake until all rises to a rich, souffle-like golden brown, about 40 minutes.

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10 Comments on The complete easy all vegetarian holiday brunch

Reply

Saving this, I love the contrasting slaw since strata can be a little heavy ...

Ab_sum Reply

Thanks, luvcookbooks. Folks love the slaw and the strata is not as heavy as many recipes.

Profile Reply

How heavenly. This meal sounds good any time of day to me.

Ab_sum Reply

Thanks, Bevi!

Img_2764 Reply

Wow, your method is so seductively descriptive. I'm hanging on its every word. So glad you're healthy and back with us. We've missed you! Have a lovely holiday.

Ab_sum Reply

Thanks kindly, b! Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving, too.

Oldies_joemare_bd Reply

Sounds fantastic, love the title!! The fruit slaw with this is brilliant.

Ab_sum Reply

Thanks, sdebrango. I wasn't sure what else to call this. Happy Thanksgiving with all your company coming!!

Sausage2 Reply

Sounds like an absolutely lovely meal!

Ab_sum Reply

Thanks so much, fiveandspice. Happy Thanksgiving!

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