Brie, Mushroom, and Spinach Strata
Toasty French bread. Perfectly browned mushrooms sautéed with aromatic thyme and white wine. Fresh, tender baby spinach. Melting, oozing, pungent brie cheese. Dijon mustard swirled into a silky egg custard.
Do I have to keep going? For the love of all that is good, I hope not, or I’d be concerned that you either have: 1)no taste buds, 2)no imaginative powers, or 3) no pulse. Get thee to the kitchen and make up some of this strata as a side dish for your Easter dinner ham, or double it and make it as the main attraction at your Easter brunch. Or make it immediately and eat it for dinner tonight. WHATEVER, just do it. You’ll have time to thank me later.
In case fancy descriptions aren’t spurring you on, here are some pictures, that while not the best in the entire world, have to at least convince you a little bit that this is worth making. Now GO!
Brie, Mushroom, and Spinach Strata
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ½ loaf of French bread (8 oz), preferably day old
- 3-4 cups cups baby spinach
- 6 oz piece of brie, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Generously butter an 8x8” baking dish or deep pie dish and set aside.
- In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and cook until tender and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, the leaves from the thyme sprigs, and a hefty pinch of salt. Cook until mushrooms are golden, about 5-7 minutes. Pour in the wine and increase heat to high. Cook, letting the wine bubbling vigorously, until all the liquid cooks out, which should only take a minute or two. Set aside.
- Whisk together the eggs, cream, milk, Dijon, salt, and a pinch of black pepper in a large mixing bowl. Add the cubed bread, the spinach, and the cooked mushrooms, tossing until everything is coated in the egg mixture and all of the egg has been absorbed into the bread. Pour half of this mixture into the baking dish and top it with half of the cubed brie. Add the rest of the bread and egg mixture, then top with the remaining brie. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake the strata for 60 minutes. Remove aluminum foil, add grated Parmesan and continue baking, uncovered, until puffed and golden, 10-15 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.