Here’s another do ahead brunch dish for a stress free host, you can be enjoying your Blood Orange Mimosa’s or Bloody Mary’s while brunch is baking! I don’t know about you, but around the holidays when entertaining can get crazy, recipes such as this one are a blessing. It can be made vegetarian by leaving out the ham. You can either bake in a 13×9″ pan or make 8 individual servings using ramekins.
Makes 12 Servings
6 cups shredded cheese, divided in half (a mixture of Monterey Jack, Old Cheddar, Gruyere)
¾ lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
½ medium onion, chopped
¼ cup (approx.) red bell pepper, thinly sliced
¼ cup butter
8 oz. cooked ham, cut into julienne strips
8 beaten eggs
1 ¾ cups homogenized milk (do not use low fat)
1/8 tsp. Tabasco
½ cup unbleached flour
2 Tbsp. snipped fresh chives, basil, tarragon or thyme or a mixture of two herbs
1 Tbsp. finely chopped Italian parsley
Sprinkle 3 cups cheese in the bottom of a well greased or sprayed 13 x 9 x 2” baking dish. In a large frying pan, cook the mushrooms, onion and red pepper in the butter until the vegetables are tender but not brown; drain well. Cool a bit, then place vegetables on top of cheese.
Arrange ham strips on top of vegetables. Sprinkle with the remaining 3 cups of cheese. Cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight.
An hour before baking, remove from the fridge. Preheat oven to 350 F. Whisk together the eggs, milk, flour, herbs & parsley. Pour the mixture over the ingredients in the baking dish. Bake for approximately 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Variations: Substitute 3 cups of aged Cheddar for 3 cups of Monterey Jack Cheese.
Blood Orange Mimosa: freshly squeezed blood orange juice and bubbly wine such as Prosecco! So good!
