WASP Wednesday: Recipe

Happy WASP Wednesday from Muffy and I!

This week Muffy and I are talking food. WASPs love to socialize and this of course involves food in both solid and liquid forms. While dinners at the club or a favorite local establishment are hard to beat there are some occasions where the WASP enjoys turning on their Viking and putting Mimi's silver to good use. With late nights at the end of the week and all day squash commitments Saturday brunches happen to be a time the WASP tends to stay home (Sunday brunch is reserved for the club).

As we know the mother WASP tends to lean towards easier recipes (and mayo...when not making brunch treats of course) so what better a time to make an all in one dish?! Casseroles and stratas are a go-to brunch food. Kitchen staples (eggs, milk, bread and cheese) are easy to locate is the grocery store (the WASP does not always have a well stocked fridge...that is left up to the bar) and only one bowl is needed for some mixing. The easier, the better! The best thing about a brunch casserole or strata is that it can be prepared on Friday evening before the weekly cocktail party and then pulled out and popped in the Viking pre-brunch on Saturday. Voila! Ready, set, cook! Oh, and remember the muffins, mimosas and Bloody Mary's too!

Two Cheese Strata
What you need:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more, softened, for baking dish
8 slices white bread
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups grated Swiss cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
4 large eggs
2 cups milk
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Directions:
*Butter an 8-inch square baking dish (I actually used a larger pan and just added an extra egg and more milk which worked perfectly); line bottom with 4 slices bread. Sprinkle with half of each cheese. Top with chives. Layer with remaining bread and cheese.
*Whisk together eggs, milk, melted butter, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture into baking dish. Cover; refrigerate at least 6 hours (or overnight).
*Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake strata until puffed and golden, about an hour. Let stand 10 minutes before serving (I lightly sprinkle additional cayenne pepper on top before serving to add a little more flavor).