Slab Bacon and Mushroom Strata

I was looking for a brunch recipe the other day that was not sweet. Something that was savory and a little bit out of the ordinary. I came across this in the cookbook, "Pig- King of the Southern Table". It calls for slab bacon, which peameal fits nicely. It's much more lean than other slab bacons, so the recipe called for a little adjustment as there's no drippings, even after frying a pound of it. Also, because this is a strata, you'll need to make it the night before you're going to serve it, or at least two hours ahead, so the egg mixture has time to soak into the bread.

As the author notes, you can use a variety of mushrooms (ummm...what about picking your own morels in season...) and a variey of cheeses (I would have used some nice aged Canadian cheddar if someone else would part with it...). Use your imagination with this versatile dish.

Slab Bacon and Mushroom Strata

4-5 slices of white bread, crusts trimmed
1 pound peameal, diced
2 t. butter
1/2 pound mushrooms, finely diced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 t. Dijon mustard
1 c. shredded swiss cheese
2 c. half and half
3 large eggs, beaten
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Tobasco sauce to taste

Grease a 2-2 1/2 quart casserole. Arrange the slices of bread on the bottom of the casserole dish, and set aside.

In a large skillet, fry the peameal. Set it aside. Add 2 t. butter to skillet and saute the mushrooms and onions until golden, about 8 minutes. Return the bacon to the skillet, add the mustard to the bacon, mushrooms and onions and stir well.

Spoon the bacon mixture evenly over the bread and sprinkle the cheese on top.

In a bowl, combine the eggs, half and half, Worcestershire, seasonings and Tobasco. Whisk until well blended. Pour over the cheese and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat the over to 350 degrees and bake for 45- 50 minutes. Serves 4-6.

Enjoy!


See you next month. Comments are always welcome at Gord's.

Gordette

A Tale of Two Breakfasts- Egg, Bacon and Cheese Muffins

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way "
A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens

Although Dickens was talking about two cities, prior to the French Revolution, he might as well have been talking about breakfast: bran cereal, low-fat yogurt, dry toast vs grits made with cream, waffles with syrup and fried eggs...oh, my. So I bring you a breakfast that straddles the fence...somewhere between lightness and darkness, and definitely heavenly!

Egg, Bacon and Cheese Muffins

3 English muffins, split in half
6 slices peameal bacon
6 slices tomato
1/2 t. salt and pepper
2 T. butter
6 eggs
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Toast or grill muffins until golden. Place on foil-lined baking sheets.

In skillet over medium-high heat or on grill, fry bacon, turning once, until crips about 8 minutes.

Place one slice of bacon on each muffin half, top with tomatoe slice and sprinkle with half of the salt and pepper.

In skillet, melt half the butter, crack 3 eggs into the pan, sprinkle with the rest of the salt and pepper, cover and cook until the white is set and the yolk is runny, about 2 minutes. Set on the tomato. Repeat with the remaining eggs.

Sprinkle the eggs with cheese and broil or warm.

Serve with home fries...and fruit salad and yogurt to complete the Tale of Two Breakfasts.

See you next month...your comments are always welcome at Gord's.

Gordette