Easter Egg Strata! (And Other Spring Culinary Escapades)

The brunch is tomorrow morning!  All my ingredients are prepped, and I'm just waiting to make the custard and throw everything together.  Here's how it goes:

Egg Strata

2 c chopped bell peppers
1 medium onion, diced
1 dozen eggs
12 oz sausage (your favorite)
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1.5 c milk
1.5 c half and half
8 cups cubed bread
2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Butter
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Sauté the veggies!  I recommend slow-cooking the onions first so they get nicely caramelized.  I add about a tablespoon of olive oil to a frying pan and cook them over low heat.  Once they become translucent, I add a pat of butter and the thyme and stir the onions, allowing them to continue cooking until they take on a slightly golden tinge.  This ensures their sweetness.  Remove from the pan and set aside.  Then cook the bell peppers in a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat, lightly salted, until they are softened and slightly golden around the edges.

2. Break the sausage into small chunks, and brown it in batches over medium heat.  I like to make sure that the sausage is entirely cooked; it will warm in the casserole, but if there's any residual rawness, it'll still be there even after you bake!

3. Refrigerate the veggies and sausage to cool them down before adding them to the eggs!

4. The custard for the dish is comprised of the eggs, milk, half and half, dry mustard, and 1.5 cups of cheese.  The remainder will be sprinkled over the top of the casserole.  Whisk together the eggs and liquid first, then fold in the cheese.

5. Add the bread to the custard, gently tossing to combine.  Add in your accoutrements (peppers, sausage, onions) and toss to combine.

6. Pour everything into a greased 9x13" baking dish, pressing down slightly.  Make sure most of the extra custard goes into the pan.

7. Refrigerate overnight, if desired (you can also let it sit for an hour or so to let the custard absorb).  When you're ready to cook, top the casserole with 1/2 c reserved cheddar and bake at 375F for 45 minutes until the top is golden.

In other news, I can't wait for farmers' markets, loves.  I just want spring veggies.  I'll let you know how the strata goes over at Easter brunch.  Happy Easter if you celebrate it, Happy Spring if not!

~AF

C-c-c-culture, C-c-c-usisine and C-c-c-cold! Last Weekend's Adventures in Food and Art

Brrr, lovies!  It's awfully chilly out there!

I'm posting about what I did on Sunday the 20th.  Why wait so long?  Well, my fingers have only just thawed out...

I met up with my auntie and the sis downtown to check out the Art Institute's new Gods and Glamor exhibit, but first we needed some snackies...lunch actually.  We were pretty much starving.

We ran across the same problem we always have when we meet up along Michigan Ave.  My sister's a bit of a picky eater (not that there's anything wrong with that, love ya, L!) so we didn't really have the option to try out places like the Gage or Purple Pig (which I am a little bit obsessed with...gotta go there and try it...).  We eventually settled on trying out the Park Grill at Millennium Park.

Since it was a Sunday morning, the Park Grill was serving up brunch.  I settled into our booth table and ordered a cup of coffee, a beverage I would recommend if you're not part of the Bloody Mary- and Mimosa-drinking set.  After grasping the mug for about ten minutes, I'd finally regained some of the feeling in my hands.

We all went savory-brunchy with our entrees.  My aunt got Short Rib Benedict, which I unfortunately did not taste.  My sister got chicken and waffles, which I did try, and I got (get ready for it...) chilaquiles!

Elegant Chicken and Waffles at the Park Grill

Let's start with the chicken and waffles.  I am in love with the concept.  Crispy, crunchy, fluffy, salty, sweet...just about the perfect meal, no?  This was the first time I'd ever had C & W, and I'm sorry to say I found this plate a wee bit wanting.

Individually, the items were tasty.  The chicken was juicy and delicious, enveloped in a golden breadcrumb crust.  The waffle was fluffy and just slightly sweet, but it lacked the crisp coating I was hoping for.  They'd drizzled the whole shebang simply with honey.  To create a harmonious and really out-of-this-world dish, I would prefer chicken that is seasoned far more aggressively, maybe even with a kick, and I'd like my waffles to be crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, with a little more sweetness to counterbalance the chicken.

Overall, I liked the concept, I just wanted more from the execution.

Warm, Comforting Chilaquiles at the Park Grill

My chilaquiles were quite the different story.  While not traditional, they packed a whole lot of flavorful punch into one messy-looking bowl.  I've had chilaquiles verdes from Nuevo Leon and enjoyed them immensely.  The chilaquiles from Park Grill aren't trying to replicate the authenticity of Nuevo Leon...and they shouldn't.

PG's chilaquiles featured a red sauce that gave off notes of complex, smoky chiles.  The salsa-braised nacho chips, an integral part of any good plate of chilaquiles, were not uniformly soggy, but I'll be honest, I didn't really mind.  The dish also featured chunks of fall-apart tender carnitas-style pork, along with two over-easy eggs with perfectly runny yolks, guacamole, sour cream, and little cubes of a salty white cheese.

The subtle heat from the sauce built over time, but the runny yolk, guac, and sour cream balanced the meal nicely.

I only regret that I couldn't take my leftovers with me; at the AIC, there's no food allowed...

As for the exhibit, it was fascinating.  I always enjoy Roman, Greek and Byzantine art.  But the showstopper for me was an exhibit on modern fashion from Japanese designers.  Be sure to check it out if you get a chance.

~AF