Asparagus and Ham Strata will fill your belly and warm your bones. We used to spend every Christmas with Ron’s brother Danny. We’d show up on Christmas Eve, and I’d stash a casserole of some sort in Danny’s fridge for Christmas morning. Then we’d head out to Lots of Eats for delicious Thai food. Most years it was very cold and often snowy. Warming our bellies was a priority.
The back to Danny’s apartment to exchange gifts and play Scrabble until we decided to turn in. Ron and I would head back to our hotel, then get up early the next morning, braving the cold, knowing that Danny was already preheating the oven, and we’d be feeling warm inside and out in no time.
This Asparagus and Ham Strata not only warmed our bellies, it kept us satisfied until late afternoon. Every Christmas, after breakfast, we would take off on an excursion, with Danny at the helm. Danny would plan our expeditions in advance – every year we would discover something new, exploring the riches of the historic North Shore. We’d finally end up at Thyme, a wonderful Japanese restaurant, for sake and sushi. It was wonderful. We all loved the ritual of it, the predictability, the deliciousness.
I’m sure you need no convincing regarding the deliciousness of this Asparagus and Ham Strata. But it’s more than delicious – it triggers these memories of times with Danny. The genesis of this blog was my own personal exploration of the connections between food and memories. Good memories. This Asparagus and Ham Strata fills our bellies and warms our hearts. What more is there?
Asparagus and Ham Strata
Ingredients
- 1 batard sourdough bread I used sourdough, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes, about 8 cups total of bread cubes
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ¾ cups milk
- 1 ¼ cups cream
- 1 t dried thyme
- 1 t salt
- ¼ t freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound asparagus spears woody ends removed
- Extra-virgin olive oil for asparagus
- 6 ounces ham cut into 1/4-inch cubes, about 2 cups
- 4 ounces Gruyere cheese grated, about 1 cup, packed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees; mise en place –
- Toast the bread – Spread the cubed bread over a parchment-lined sheet pan in a single layer. Place in oven and bake until lightly toasted, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove and set aside. Lower the oven temperature to 375°F.
- Make the custard – In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, thyme, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- When the bread cubes have cooled, transfer to another dish and place the asparagus in a single layer on the parchment-lined pan. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, using your hands to gently rub on each asparagus spear, sprinkle with salt. Roast 8 minutes. Remove from oven, Lower the temperature to 350 degrees. Cut spears into 3/4-inch pieces.
- Assemble the strata – To layer the casserole: Spread butter over the inside of a 9 x 13 x 2 1/4-inch ovenproof baking dish (I use Pyrex if I’m making it the day before so it can go from frig to oven). Spread half of the bread cubes over the bottom of the casserole dish. Scatter half of the ham cubes (1-cup) over the bread, then half of the asparagus over the ham. Sprinkle half of the cheese (1/2-cup) over the casserole. Evenly pour half of the milk and egg mixture (2-cups) over the top. Repeat the process with another layer of the remaining bread cubes, ham and asparagus. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Evenly pour the milk and egg mixture over the entire thing. Using your hands, gently press down on the mixture to help the bread soak up more of the milk mixture. (At this point, if making in advance, cover and refrigerate. When ready to bake, remove from frig, 30-60 minutes before baking). Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake – Cover baking dish with aluminum foil, Bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil, bake an additional 20 minutes, until golden brown and egg mixture is set (test by inserting a butter knife into the center).
- Cut into desired pieces, serve individually or place on a platter. This dish is perfect for a brunch buffet, lunch or dinner.
If you’d like to be notified when new posts are added to this site, please subscribe below, and be sure to click through on the email you receive to confirm your subscription. If you don’t receive a confirmation email, please check your spam folder.
Leave a Reply