Croissant Strata with Ham and Cheese – and meeting the parents…

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Croissant Strata with Ham, Cheese and Tomato

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‘You only have one opportunity to make a good first impression.’
This was a popular saying at Volvo, the car company, when I was working there.
That, of course, goes for job interviews. One other occasion where one feels that making a good first impression is really, really important, is meeting your partner’s parents for the first time. And meeting them for the first time during a ‘big occasion’, such as a wedding or an important holiday, can really send the stress levels through the roof.

Exactly that is the theme of one of my all-time favorite movies: The Family Stone (2005).
Sarah Jessica Parker (yes, her from Sex and the City) visits the family of her fiance (the delectable Dermot Mulroney) for the first time to celebrate Christmas together. The movie’s stellar cast also includes Diane Keaton, Luke Wilson, Rachel McAdams and Claire Danes.

Of course, everything goes wrong. Including the destruction of the Strata that was to be Sarah’s contribution to the family Christmas breakfast.
Seeing that scene made me want to celebrate not having to meet the parents again ever in my life (I sincerely hope). This Croissant Strata with Ham, Cheese and Tomatoes fits the bill perfectly. It’s festive, easy to make, and perfect to prepare ahead. Served with a green salad it can easily feed a crowd.
Any leftovers are equally great warmed up in the microwave or even eaten cold (maybe with a lick of mustard). In our family this recipe has become so popular that we actually ate it for our Christmas dinner one year!

For your meal planning, please keep in mind that a good Strata needs some soaking time. Preferably at least 6 hours, or overnight.
It’s perfect to make the night before, for an easy breakfast, lunch or brunch dish. If you want to serve it at dinner, it should be assembled in the morning so it can soak during the day.

The original recipe stated that this recipe is a great way to use up left-over croissants. Well… in our house, there never are any left-over croissants! It actually can be hard to find enough croissants for this recipe in our local supermarkets. So this recipe we usually make when somebody goes to Sweden (where the supermarkets have a bigger selection) or when the local gas station has baked goods on offer.

Ingredients

  • 8 Croissants, preferably stale (see Notes, below)
  • 4 Teaspoons Dijon Mustard
  • 8 Slices of Ham (whatever type you like or happen to have – see Notes, below)
  • Butter, for greasing the form
  • 175 Cheese, grated (see Notes, below)
  • 8 Large Eggs
  • 8 Deciliter milk (preferably full-cream – see Notes, below)
  • 200 – 250 Gram Cherry tomatoes or other tomatoes
  • 2 Tablespoons finely chopped parsley or chives
  • 0,5 Teaspoon dried thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme (can be left out)
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Butter a large baking dish (approx. 25 x 35 cm / 5 to 6 liter capacity).
  • Halve the croissants lengthways. Very lightly smear the cut sides of each croissant with the mustard.
  • Sandwich each croissant back together with a slice of ham in it.
  • Arrange the croissants on their sides in the baking dish. (Depending on the size of the croissants it may help to cut them in pieces to fill the baking dish most evenly.)
  • Scatter the 175 grams of grated cheese on top, getting it between the croissants as well as on top.
  • Whisk the 8 eggs and the milk together and season with salt (about …) and pepper, thyme and parsley/chives. Pour it over the croissants in the baking dish.
  • Cut the 200 – 250 grams of tomatoes in halves or small wedges and push them in between the croissants, all over the baking dish.
  • Cover the baking dish with foil (see Notes, below). Refrigerate over night or for at least 6 hours.
  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Take off the foil and put to the side. Cook in the middle of the oven for about 1 hour until puffed up and golden. The egg mixture should just be set. Leave to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
  • The Strata can be served warm, lukewarm or cooled. It’s nice to serve something fresh and crispy beside, like a green salad with a yoghurt dressing or honey-mustard dressing. Leftovers are nice cold or warmed lightly in the microwave.

Notes

This recipe is very easy to scale up or down: for each croissant, use an egg mix of 1 egg and 1 deciliter of milk.

 

  • Author: FarmHouseKeeper

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