Mediterranean Strata With Goat Cheese Recipes

BELL PEPPER AND GOAT CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Brush a 9" x 9" pan with oil. In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, Parmesan and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Add bread; toss until coated; ransfer to pan; let sit. Heat oven to 400°F. In a large nonstick pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Sauté bell pepper, onion, thyme and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1⁄4 tsp black pepper until onion begins to brown, 10 minutes. Add bell pepper mixture to pan; spread evenly over bread mixture; dot with goat cheese. Bake until top is puffed and browned and center is firm, 25 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes. Garnish with thyme, if desired.

GREEN STRATA WITH GOAT CHEESE AND HERBS

Steps:

• In a medium pot, bring milk and cream to a simmer.
• Meanwhile, place greens, herbs, cheese, salt and pepper in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Once the hot milk mixture comes to a simmer, pour over greens and purée until smooth. Pour into a bowl and let cool completely. Once cool, whisk in 6 eggs.
• Lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Scatter bread cubes over bottom of pan. Pour custard over bread and press down so the bread absorbs the custard. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. If you can, stir bread cubes after an hour or so to encourage an even distribution of custard.
• When you are ready to bake the strata, heat oven to 350 degrees. Tuck the goat cheese rounds into and on top of the strata. Transfer pan to oven and bake until top is beginning to firm up but is still slightly wet underneath, about 25 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven and use a spoon to make 6 evenly spaced indentations on the surface of the strata. Crack an egg into each hole and season with salt and pepper. Return pan to oven and continue to bake until strata is cooked through and eggs are just set, 20 to 25 minutes more. Sprinkle with Aleppo or Turkish pepper if desired.

FRESH TOMATO AND GOAT CHEESE STRATA WITH HERB OIL

Steps:

• For the Filling: Combine the goat cheese and cream in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, whip together the cheese and the cream. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• For the Herb Oil: Combine the herbs in a food processor and pulse to chop the herbs. With the machine running add the oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
• To serve: Using a serrated knife, cut the tomatoes. Top each tomato with a spoonful of the goat cheese mixture. Place a few tomatoes on a serving plate, drizzle with herb oil, and sprinkle with walnuts. Serve.