Crab & Cheese Strata
Submitted by Jennik
Make-ahead crab and Swiss cheese strata layered with buttered bread, Dijon mustard, and egg custard. Assemble the night before, bake until puffed and golden for an effortless brunch.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
140 minCOOK
40 minREADY
190 minStrata is brunch on autopilot, and this crab-loaded version might be the best reason to set your alarm on a Saturday.
Layers of buttered white bread sandwich a filling of flaked crab meat, celery, and onion bound with mayo, then get blanketed in grated Swiss cheese. A Dijon-spiked egg custard soaks through the whole thing overnight in the fridge.
Come morning, it goes straight into the oven and bakes up puffy, golden, and custardy with pockets of melted Swiss in every bite.
Brunch Tips
- Assemble the night before. The overnight rest lets the custard fully soak into the bread, which is what gives strata its silky, almost soufflé-like texture.
- Use firm white bread, not soft sandwich bread. It holds up to the custard without turning to paste.
- Let it rest 10 minutes after baking. This firms up the custard so your slices hold together on the plate.
Ingredients
Directions
Trim 6 slices of bread to fit bottom of greased 12×8 baking dish .
Butter one side of each slice with ½ teaspoon butter and place bread in bottom of dish, buttered side up.
Mix crab, celery, onion and mayo.
Spread over bread slices.
Scatter cheese over.
Trim other 6 slices of bread and butter them, as above.
Place with buttered side down.
Mix eggs, milk, mustard and pepper together and pour evenly over casserole.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours (or overnight).
Bake at 350℉ (180℃) F for 35 to 40 minutes or until puffed and light brown.
Let cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
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