Strata: A Savory Custard

Name: Strata: A Savory Custard
Ingredients: About 1/2 cup stale bread, torn in small pieces, any tough crusts removed; 1/4 cup milk; A slice of ham, enough to fill the bottom of the dish (leftover baked ham is particularly good here; see page 60); A little soft butter; 3 spears cooked asparagus; Salt; 1 large egg; 1/4 cup mixture of milk and cream or half-and-half; Freshly ground pepper; A couple of fresh sage leaves or fresh basil torn (optional); About 1 generous tablespoon grated cheese, Parmesan or aged Cheddar or Swiss

December 9, 2011

This vegetable custard calls for the same ingredients as the individual timbales that I learned to make as a youngster from my aunt Marian in Vermont and have relished ever since. It’s a good way to use up yesterday’s baguette and a leftover vegetable, to say nothing of that fallback ingredient, a piece of ham. Here I put everything into a 1 1/2 cup ceramic baking dish that has a 4 1/2-inch diameter and it fills the dish, coming out of the oven puffy and lightly tanned. It’s easier than having to unmold the individual timbales, and, of course, I eat it right from the dish as soon as it has cooled long enough not to burn my tongue.

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