I've always been intrigued by GPOYW. I've seen some of my friends post gratuitous pictures of themselves on Wednesday. And coincidentally, I spent this Saturday afternoon with my photographer friend Allie, who just launched a brand new photography website. She snapped some photos as I was making a spinach and cheese strata.
There. Now you've all seen it for yourself. Everyone knows that I'm legit, but even more importantly, that my kitchen is a mess when I cook. I try to clean as I go, but yeah, that doesn't always happen.
Let's talk about spinach and cheese strata for a moment now, shall we? Or perhaps we should just let the photo (and the ingredient list) speak for itself.
Spinach and Cheese Strata
Gourmet (February 2003)
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients:
1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed, squeeze of all excess liquid, and chopped
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion (1 large)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
8 cups cubed French or Italian bread in 1-inch cubes (1/2 lb)
6 ounces coarsely grated Gruyère (2 cups)
2 ounces finely grated parmesan (1 cup)
2 3/4 cups milk
9 large eggs
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1. Sauté onion in butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and nutmeg and continue cooking for one minute. Stir in spinach, remove from heat and set aside.
2. Spread one third of the bread cubes in a well-buttered 3-quart gratin dish or other ceramic baking dish. Top with one-third of bread cubes,one-third of spinach mixture and one-third of each cheese. Repeat layering twice with remaining bread, spinach and cheese.
3. Whisk eggs, milk, mustard and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together in a large bowl and pour evenly over strata. Cover with plastic wrap and chill strata for several hours or up to a day.
4. Remove from the refrigerator and let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes while preheating the oven to 350°F. Bake strata, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Thanks to Allie for letting me swipe a few of her fab photos!
Wow, that looks really good right about now. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Posted by: Itscheese | May 15, 2010 at 03:21 PM
The picture of that strata is making my mouth water. In fact, it's exactly what I want to be eating right now. I also love your friend's website. I love photography, so I think I could browse websites like that all day long. (Well, that and food websites...) And those pictures of you are great!!
Posted by: Chrissy | February 28, 2010 at 11:38 AM
i love it.. it look likes delicious i want to try that to make.
Posted by: Medical Advice | February 23, 2010 at 01:48 PM
Cute! I like how focused you look in those photos while making the strata. Also? The recipe looks delicious!
Adding it to the queue of MANY recipes I need to make...
Posted by: E.P. | February 20, 2010 at 08:38 AM
This sounds kind of creepy, but you look adorable when you cook!
Posted by: Ashley | February 19, 2010 at 12:39 AM
Look how cute you are! I make a huge mess when I cook too. I'm lucky to have a huge sink so I can just keep dumping dishes in it as I go, but I still make a mess. That strata looks incredible - I'm tempted to make it for guests we are having on Saturday.
Posted by: Dana | February 18, 2010 at 06:28 PM
Mmm, strata, savory, spinach. I am so there.
Posted by: Cate O'Malley | February 18, 2010 at 10:40 AM
This looks delicious, I must try it! :)
Posted by: Catherine | February 18, 2010 at 05:06 AM
What great pictures - they make me want to take a few action shots too! And your strata is making my mouth water!
Posted by: Kerstin | February 18, 2010 at 12:00 AM
Love the photos, it is fun to see people actually in their kitchen cooking. I have been looking for something new and exciting to make for dinner, adding this to our test kitchen - looks delicious and sounds easy to make!
Posted by: Chez Us | February 17, 2010 at 01:47 PM
I star just about everything meat-free that you make. YUM!
Posted by: elle michelle | February 17, 2010 at 01:02 PM
That looks so delish!
And I'm so relieved that I'm not the only one who destroys their kitchen each time she cooks/bakes. Granted, yours looks WAY less messy than mine still :)
Posted by: Natalie | February 17, 2010 at 12:28 PM
nice photos!
strata always seems so good to me, but i flash back to christmas morning when my mom makes strata that i just can't stand. i know all strata is a little different, so i am always curious to try a different version, i've just never had the opportunity. perhaps i will have to try this one.
Posted by: bodelou | February 17, 2010 at 11:55 AM
The spinich and cheese strata looks fantastic and I'm excited to try it. I dont use spiniach nearly enough in the kitchen.
Those pics are great! (So are the other ones on her site.) I love knowing that I'm not the only one who makes a mess in the kitchen when cooking/baking.
Posted by: mandy | February 17, 2010 at 09:57 AM
Hi there!
Posted by: kat | February 17, 2010 at 09:36 AM
Lol! Very cute. You look adorable and that casserole looks so yummy. I love casseroles-they are lind of like a one stop shop.
Posted by: Daryl Callahan | February 17, 2010 at 08:37 AM