Food/Recipes

(KDKA) Just in time for the holiday, Rania Harris cooks up some delicious recipes for Christmas morning.

Strata - Frittata

1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature
4 cups whole milk
1 cup half and half
12 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
12 to 15 - 1-inch thick slices French bread, crusts removed
1 Jar Classico Basil Pesto
8 ounces Harvarti cheese, coarsely grated
8 ounces Colby cheese, coarsely grated

Garnish:
1 Jar Classico Tomato Basil Bruschetta

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch rectangular casserole. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the milk half and half, eggs, salt, and pepper. In another medium-size bowl, toss the cheeses together.

Place enough of the bread slices to cover the bottom of the prepared pan. The bread should cover most of the bottom. If it does not, add part of one to fill in the gap. Dollop a small amount of the Basil Pesto over each of the bread pieces. Sprinkle with one-third of the cheese. Place the second layer of bread over the cheese and again, fill in any large gaps with extra bread. Carefully pour the milk and egg mixture over the entire casserole. It will seem like a lot, but the bread will soak it up as it cooks. Top with the remaining cheese. (At this point you can cover and refrigerate the strata for up to 24 hours before baking.)

Bake for 50 – 60 minutes, or until the casserole is very puffy and the cheese is golden brown on top. Let sit for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Top each serving with a dollop of the Classico Tomato Basil Bruschetta.

(Note: Because this is a soufflé-like dish, it will deflate a few minutes after you take it out of the oven. It may not look as spectacular, but it tastes great!)

Serves 12 as a main course

Buttermilk Lemon Pound Cake

3 cups all purpose flour
1-teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon each: baking powder and baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
A dash of freshly grated nutmeg
2 sticks unsalted butter - room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
4 eggs
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1-cup buttermilk

Garnishes:
1-cup fresh blueberries or
1 cup caramelized apples (see note)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a non-stick Bundt pan with non stick baking spray well.

Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In a large mixing bowl of an electric mixer, on medium speed, beat the butter with the sugar and lemon zest. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and continue to beat until well combined. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour mixture (3 additions of flour and 2 of buttermilk). With the last addition of flour, add the fruit and beat until just incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour or until top is golden brown and cake test done. Cool on rack and remove from pan. Invert to serving plate, right side up. Dust with powdered sugar.

To Caramelize Apples:

Peel, core and cut 2 large granny smith apples into small chunks, sauté them in 3 tablespoons of butter with ½ cup sugar for 15 minutes or until lightly caramelized.


Sausage and Potato Breakfast Casserole

1 pound bulk breakfast sausage
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 ½ cups whole milk

1 - 1-pound package frozen shredded Ore-Ida Hash Brown Potatoes
6 green onions – chopped
1 ½ cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish.

Cook the sausage in a heavy large skillet over medium high heat until brown, breaking into small pieces with back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Mix in flour and then the milk. Cook until mixture thickens and comes to a boil, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Arrange the potatoes in prepared dish. Top with 1/3 of the onions, 1 cup of the cheese, 1/3 of the onions, sausage mixture and remaining ½ cup cheese.

Bake the casserole, about 45 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining green onions and serve.

Serves: 6

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