Egg Strata ~ A Prelude of Things to Come

I'm back from my brief trip...and yes...most of my cargo made the return trip home. After a long, difficult summer things are looking up. I can not recall ever wanting a season to end as much as this one. I try to refrain from thinking this way, because we all know we get to a point in our lives where we're stopped dead in our tracks, wondering where on earth the time went? A point where we're sending our last born off to college questioning, why oh why were we ever so anxious for change?

If only we had the power to rewind time...go back instead of forward...to what we know were good times. But seeing that's impossible, I'm left with the only option of wishing this summer move along now...and move along fast!

So at least for me (and knowing it's wrong to wish away time) be gone summer 2010! Bring on the cooler weather, the pumpkins and the leaves! Bring out the chimineas, leather riding boots and favorite hoodie! Here's to football, seafood chowders, tailgates and pie! Here's to mums, hot cider and magazines with turkeys!

It's a beautiful day. The mornings and evenings are cool...a prelude of things to come! Here's an Egg Strata recipe my friend Amie introduced me to ~ there's a lot going on here but with just a few adjustments (noted below) it is unbelievably delicious! Keep this in mind for this fall and the next time you have company...I promise it will blow them away!

Egg Strata Vermont,
Cooking for Company, by Nicole Aloin

Notes:
*Great cooked the night before and reheated in the morning
*I didn't use the entire loaf of bread
*I used 9 eggs
*It cooked for 1 hour 2o minutes
*I peeled half the apples and 1/2 left the skin on

Ingredients:
1 loaf challah or egg bread
1/2 lb thick cut bacon (we get ours from a local pork farm)
3/4 -1 cup chopped onion
4 cups thinly sliced and halved Granny Smith Apples
1T Maple syrup
5 eggs (we added closer to 9)
1 extra egg yolk
1 3/4 - 2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 t salt
1/4 t nutmeg
pinch cayenne pepper
1 t white pepper
8 ounces chevere cheese
4 cups grated Vermont white cheddar
1/4 cup chopped fresh thyme (or basil) or 3T minced rosemary (we did a combo of mostly thyme and a touch of rosemary)
1/4 cup chopped chives
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

- Butter 3-3.5 quart casserole. Cut bread into 3/4 inch cubes. Toast the bread lightly and set aside.

- Sautee bacon over low heat for 3-5 mins, until cooked thru but not crisp. Add onion, apples and maple syrup, sautee 5 mins until onion softens. Remove from heat, drain fat and set aside.

- In large bowl combine eggs, egg yolk, milk, cream, salt, nutmeg, cayenne and white pepper and set aside.

- Cover bottom of casserole w/one layer of the bread, evenly with half the chevere, cheddar, apple mixture, bacon, and herbs. Cover w/remaining bread, cheese, bacon apples and herbs. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.

- Pour egg to within one inch the top of the casserole. Let dish rest covered for a few hours or preferably in the fridge overnight.

- Preheat oven to 350, bake uncovered 35-40 min (or longer) until bubbling, puffed and knife inserted into center comes out clean.

- Let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with coffee.