We warmed our bellies on Christmas morning with Asparagus and Ham Strata before climbing into the car and driving to North Andover to spend the holiday with Ron’s brother Danny.
We typically only eat asparagus in season, fresh out of our garden, but preparing this Asparagus and Ham Strata in the winter is a happy exception. It’s a wonderful way to warm you bones and fill your belly, without feeling like you’re fattening yourself up for hibernation. The charred asparagus is lively, the tarragon adds a fresh top note, and although there is cheese and cream, it doesn’t feel heavy.
This Asparagus and Ham Strata is best made in advance and stashed in the frig overnight, because you want the bread to be saturated with the eggs and cream mixture. The dish can be pulled right out of the frig and placed in a cold oven, allowing it to warm as the oven comes to temp.
Or you can pull it out of the frig and set it on the counter for an hour or so to let it come to room temp while you preheat the oven, but that’s really not necessary. It’s just another step that delays the process. Whether we’re serving a crowd who stayed up late the night before, or just feeding ourselves before hitting the road for our holiday sojourn, we’re hungry!
Asparagus and Ham Strata
Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus
- 5 ounces Jarlsberg cheese
- 10-16 ounces cooked ham
- 1 loaf sourdough bread
- 4 eggs
- 3 cups half-and-half
- 1½ t dried tarragon
- 1½ t salt
- 1/4 t white pepper
- butter (for baking dish)
Instructions
THE NIGHT BEFORE
- Preheat the oven, prep the veg, and grate the cheese – Preheat the oven to 400℉, convection bake setting. Trim the woody ends of the asparagus, and cut the spears into 1-inch pieces. Steam the asparagus for 2-3 minutes, then rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside. Grate the Jarlesberg. Dice the ham into 1/2-inch pieces.
- Prep the bread – Cut or tear the sourdough loaf into 1 to 2-inch pieces. Toast in the preheated oven for 6-7 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Whisk the eggs and half-and-half together – Whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, tarragon, salt and pepper.
- Assemble the strata – Butter your baking dish. Layer the ingredients – 1/2 of the toasted bread cubes, 1/2 of the ham, 1/2 of the asparagus, 1/2 of the cheese. Then pour 1/2 the egg and half-and-half mixture over it all. Repeat. Press down to saturate the bread with the egg mixture. Cover with foil and stash in the refrigerator overnight.
THE DAY OF
- Bake – Remove the Strata from the refrigerator and place the covered strata in a cold oven. Set the oven temperature to 400℉, and wait for the oven come up to temperature, then bake the strata for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let set for about 10 minutes.
The texture in this Asparagus and Ham Strata is wonderful. Despite pressing down on the casserole after dousing it with the egg and half-and-half mixture, and despite soaking the strata overnight, the pieces of bread, asparagus, and ham sticking out of the top will caramelize and get crunchy, which is a fantastic contrast to the creamy interior. So savory, so creamy/crunchy, so flavorful. You’ll love it.
That looks so inviting and tasty; the perfect brunch dish for new year’s day. Happy 2024 Melinda!!
Great minds think alike – it is perfect for brunch for a crowd. But I don’t think you’d want to make it for just you and Evan. It makes a lot! As much as we love it, we’re not eager to have it again any time soon after polishing off the whole thing in a few days. Happy 2024, Amy!