The Comfort of Cooking » Berry Strata

Berry Strata

Made by Georgia September 6, 2010 21 comments »

It’s safe to say that with all the traveling my husband, Mark, and I are doing this year, we don’t have any huge plans for our first wedding anniversary, which is today. I’m so happy that a year has passed, but we’ve been together for seven years and have had plenty of fun and flashy anniversary celebrations. Today is just quieter, and instead of trotting around town, we’ve spent the time talking about our favorite memories from the wonderful day when we were married.

For this year’s small celebration, Mark bought me a beautiful bunch of red roses, and tonight we’ll walk over to a favorite French restaurant for dinner and drinks. For him, I took over the weekend breakfast-making duties and prepared this fluffy, warm berry strata.

If you’re not familiar with this dish, don’t worry. Strata is easy, incredibly flavorful, and a lot like a marriage between a quiche and French toast. Chunks of bread (I used a day-old baguette) absorb a mixture of egg, sugar, ricotta, milk, orange juice, butter and honey, and it’s all tossed with mixed berries. After several hours of soaking, pop that baby in the oven and try your best to wait 40 minutes while it bakes. The aroma is incredible!

There are many sweet and savory variations of strata, but I think you will absolutely love this one. The texture is soft with a little crunch, and the taste is slightly sweet and citrusy. Eating it feels like getting a big hug, and celebration or not, everyone deserves a hug from this delicious breakfast or brunch comfort food!

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Berry Strata

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons honey
4 large eggs
1/2 cup ricotta
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup milk
1/4 cup orange juice
4 slices of bread, torn into 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
1 (10-ounce) bag frozen mixed berries, thawed and drained

Directions:

Add butter to a small bowl and microwave until melted, watching carefully. Add the honey, and stir to combine.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the eggs, ricotta, and sugar. Mix to combine and beat the eggs. Add the milk, orange juice, butter and honey mixture, and bread. Stir to combine. Gently fold in the berries.

Place the ingredients in a 10-inch round (2-quart) baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the strata until golden on top and baked through, about 40 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Spoon into dishes and serve.

Enjoy!

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis via Food Network

Breakfast and Brunch, Breakfast Breads

21 comments »

21 Responses to “Berry Strata”

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1

ChileBomb.com — January 10, 2011 @ 9:11 pm

It looks great! My mother makes something very similar on Christmas morning for breakfast. It is certainly the epitomy of comfort food. Great recipe.

P.S. Congratulations on your 7th. Many more happy ones to you both!
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2

Jenn's Food Journey — January 10, 2011 @ 9:11 pm

Happy Anniversary!!!! The strata looks and sounds delicious!
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3

Evan @swEEts — January 10, 2011 @ 9:11 pm

I’ve never seen a sweet strata! It’s almost like a bread pudding and I love bread pudding so I know I’d love this strata! :) Your wedding dress was beautiful..happy anniversary (missed by one day!)
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4

newlywed — January 10, 2011 @ 9:11 pm

Happy Anniversary! This looks lovely…a fun recipe to play with a bit, or just enjoy as is!
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Magic of Spice — January 10, 2011 @ 9:11 pm

Happy Anniversary! I love this strada :)
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Debbie — January 10, 2011 @ 9:11 pm

My 1st anniversary is coming up too and we plan to do the same, nothing special just hanging out. I do have a big bag of apples that I have been looking for recipes for, so thanks…apple strata sounds delicious!
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Jessica — January 10, 2011 @ 10:05 pm

Happy Anniversary! And this looks AMAZING! Love the photo!
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Veryhungrydog — January 10, 2011 @ 10:05 pm

I like the idea of this strata–what a perfect weekend breakfast. Happy anniversary!
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Thebrunettefoodie — January 10, 2011 @ 10:05 pm

Happy anniversary!

This strata seems like the perfect way to celebrate. It looks delicious, and I can’t wait to try it when we have company in a few weeks!

http://www.thebrunettefoodie.com
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Monet — January 10, 2011 @ 10:05 pm

Happy Anniversary Love! Ryan and I celebrated our first year in a similar fashion, and we enjoyed every minute. You and your husband are a striking pair, and I wish you another year of happiness and joy. Thank you for taking the time to share this delicious berry strata with me. I would love to make this on a leisurely Saturday morning.
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Taylor — January 10, 2011 @ 10:05 pm

What a delicious looking dessert!! Happy anniversary!
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12

Foodalution — January 10, 2011 @ 10:05 pm

Happy Anniversary! Blessing to the both of you on this day! What a wonderful gift with that strata.. delicious! A hug wrapped up in deliciousness! xo Megan
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Baking Serendipity — January 10, 2011 @ 10:05 pm

Happy Anniversary! I love your wedding photo :) And this strata! Stratas have always been savory to me, and not one of my favorites, but the sweet, berry strata is definitely eye opening! Thank you!
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pinchofyum — January 10, 2011 @ 10:05 pm

I have never heard of a sweet strata! This looks amazing!!
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Angie's Recipes — January 10, 2011 @ 10:05 pm

Happy Anniversary! And the wedding photo is really beautiful!
Berry Strata looks very much like the Kirschenmichel here in Germany…my husband could eat the whole dish just for the dinner!
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Lotta — January 10, 2011 @ 10:05 pm

Sounds and looks delicious! Have to make that soon =), thanks for the recipe!
Happy anniversary!

Sara

http://www.lottaausderkrachmacherstrasse.blogspot.com
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17

Wendy (The Weekend Gourmet) — January 10, 2011 @ 10:05 pm

Happy Anniversary! I was looking through my Giada cookbooks a few days ago looking for my favorite meatball recipe to cook and blog about. I saw this strata and thought it looked good…good to know that it’s a winner. I just made blackberry crisp, but this would be PERFECT for a quiet Sunday morning brunch!!
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Pam — January 10, 2011 @ 10:05 pm

What a beautiful wedding photo! The strata looks amazing… I love any dessert with berries in it.
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19

StephenC — January 10, 2011 @ 10:14 pm

Found you via a comment you posted on someone else’s blog. What you do looks interesting. I’m going to follow you for a bit.
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Karen — January 10, 2011 @ 10:14 pm

The strata looks fantastic….and Happy Anniversary!
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21

Lindsay — October 19, 2013 @ 3:11 am

Ever since you made this at the holidays, I’ve been just stuck on it! Dan and I make often and we just love it!

Berry Strata