Spinach, Shallot, and Gruyere Stratas

When I was in college, a new coffee shop opened up by campus selling these little things called "stratas" - essentially fluffy frittatas with meat, veggies, and cheese made in muffin tins.  I had just stopped being a vegan and was craving all the meat and cheese I could have, and the coffee shop stratas were just what I needed. As soon as I tried them, I knew I needed to learn how to make them. I found this strata recipe from Chef Emeril and started making stratas on Sunday nights to eat for breakfast throughout the week. Like an omelette or other egg dishes, you can mix in any ingredients you like - from meats to vegetables to different cheeses. Chef Emeril's recipe calls for sausage, but I chose to make a vegetarian version this past Sunday and use shallots as my onion ingredient. Enjoy!

Ingredients

8 cups of 1 inch cubes of Challah, toasted

2 cups of half and half

6 large eggs

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

2 shallots, diced

Handful of baby spinach

1 1/2 cups of grated Gruyere

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut up the Challah into one inch cubes and spread in one layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Use two baking sheets if necessary. Place in the oven until toasted, about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool. Turn off the oven for now.

Whisk your half and half, eggs, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Add in the Challah cubes once they are cool and mix the bread and egg mixture. Cover with saran wrap and leave the bowl out in room temperature for at least an hour. 

About 20 minutes before you plan on placing the stratas in the oven, take a slice of the butter and use it to grease a muffin tin. You can use either a standard or jumbo muffin tin. Preheat the oven to 400°F again. Throw the remaining butter in a pan on medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted, toss in your diced shallot. Sauté for about 7 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium and add in the spinach. Cook until wilted. Take the pan off the stove to allow to cool. 

Once the spinach and onions are cool, add to the egg mixture, along with half of the cheese, and stir to combine. Drop a spoonful of the mixture into each muffin tin well, filling to just below the brim. Top with the remaining grated cheese and pop the tin in the oven for 30 minutes. Let cool before eating.

If you manage to not eat them all in one sitting, wrap them in tinfoil to refrigerate and just pop them in the microwave or toaster to reheat!

Original recipe by Chef Emeril.