Read Online The Great American Slow Cooker Book by Bruce Weinstein - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Bruce Weinstein
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leaves, stripped from stem
½ tsp ground black pepper
8 ½-inch-thick slices white bread
2 cups milk
3 whole large eggs plus 1 yolk, at room temperature
6- TO 8-QUART
16 slices of thin-cut bacon
12 ounces (about 3 cups) Swiss cheese, grated
3 whole scallions, thinly sliced
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stem
¾ tsp ground black pepper
14 ½-inch-thick slices white bread
3¼ cups milk
4 whole large eggs plus 1 yolk, at room temperature
1 Slather the inside of the slow cooker with unsalted butter.
2 Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Fry the bacon in batches as necessary to avoid overcrowding, turning often, about 4 minutes per batch, until crisp. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels; blot dry. Let cool for a few minutes.
3 Crumble the bacon into a big bowl; stir in the cheese, scallions, thyme, and pepper.
4 Lay a single layer of bread slices in the cooker, then spoon a thin, even layer of the bacon mixture over the bread. Soldier on, repeating this layering as you use up the ingredients, ending with a layer of the bacon mixture on top to protect the bread as it “bakes.”
5 Whisk the milk, eggs, and egg yolks in a large bowl until smooth and velvety; pour evenly and gently over the ingredients in the cooker, pressing the bread down with the back of a wooden spoon so it’s soaked in the liquid mixture.
6 Cover and cook on low for 2 to 2½ hours, until the eggs are set enough that a flatware knife inserted into the center comes out clean and almost no liquid remains around the casserole.
TESTERS’ NOTES
• Traditional quiche Lorraine has no cheese, but many American versions do. We just couldn’t resist.
• If possible, use nitrate-free bacon. Yes, it’s brown, not pink; but you won’t be ingesting the chemicals that keep bacon unnaturally pink.
• How long you cook the bacon is really a matter of preference. If you like extra-crunchy bits of bacon in the strata, then fry it until it breaks into shards on the plate when cooled. If you prefer a softer finish to the dish without crunchy bits in the mix, then fry until it’s browned but still soft.
ALL-AMERICAN KNOW-HOW For any strata, the eggs should be at room temperature prior to cooking so they cook evenly. Either leave the eggs out on the counter for 20 minutes or submerge them (in their shells) in a bowl of warm—not hot!—tap water for 5 minutes.
cowboy strata with sausage and beans
EFFORT: A LITTLE • PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES • COOK TIME: 2 TO 2½ HOURS • KEEPS ON WARM: NO • SERVES: 3 TO 10
2- TO 3½-QUART
8 ounces breakfast sausage, any casings removed
4 cups small cubes of fresh Italian bread
½ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
¾ cup drained and rinsed canned pinto beans
3 ounces (about ¾ cup) Cheddar cheese, grated
½ tsp crumbled dried sage
1½ cups milk
2 whole large eggs plus 1 yolk, at room temperature
4- TO 5½-QUART
1 pound breakfast sausage, any casings removed
8 cups small cubes of fresh Italian bread
1 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1½ cups drained and rinsed canned pinto beans
6 ounces (about 1½ cups) Cheddar cheese, grated
1 tsp crumbled dried sage
3 cups milk
4 whole large eggs plus 1 yolk, at room temperature
6- TO 8-QUART
1¾ pounds breakfast sausage, any casings removed
14 cups small cubes of fresh Italian bread
1½ cups chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2¾ cups drained and rinsed canned pinto beans
11 ounces (about 2¾ cups) Cheddar cheese, grated
1½ tsp crumbled dried sage
5¼ cups milk
7 whole large eggs plus 3 yolks, at room temperature
1 Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat for a couple of minutes, then crumble in the sausage meat. Cook, stirring often, until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage meat to a plate lined with paper towels to drain off the excess fat.
2 As the sausage cooks, preheat your broiler and position the oven rack about 5 inches away. Spread the bread cubes on a
½ tsp ground black pepper
8 ½-inch-thick slices white bread
2 cups milk
3 whole large eggs plus 1 yolk, at room temperature
6- TO 8-QUART
16 slices of thin-cut bacon
12 ounces (about 3 cups) Swiss cheese, grated
3 whole scallions, thinly sliced
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stem
¾ tsp ground black pepper
14 ½-inch-thick slices white bread
3¼ cups milk
4 whole large eggs plus 1 yolk, at room temperature
1 Slather the inside of the slow cooker with unsalted butter.
2 Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Fry the bacon in batches as necessary to avoid overcrowding, turning often, about 4 minutes per batch, until crisp. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels; blot dry. Let cool for a few minutes.
3 Crumble the bacon into a big bowl; stir in the cheese, scallions, thyme, and pepper.
4 Lay a single layer of bread slices in the cooker, then spoon a thin, even layer of the bacon mixture over the bread. Soldier on, repeating this layering as you use up the ingredients, ending with a layer of the bacon mixture on top to protect the bread as it “bakes.”
5 Whisk the milk, eggs, and egg yolks in a large bowl until smooth and velvety; pour evenly and gently over the ingredients in the cooker, pressing the bread down with the back of a wooden spoon so it’s soaked in the liquid mixture.
6 Cover and cook on low for 2 to 2½ hours, until the eggs are set enough that a flatware knife inserted into the center comes out clean and almost no liquid remains around the casserole.
TESTERS’ NOTES
• Traditional quiche Lorraine has no cheese, but many American versions do. We just couldn’t resist.
• If possible, use nitrate-free bacon. Yes, it’s brown, not pink; but you won’t be ingesting the chemicals that keep bacon unnaturally pink.
• How long you cook the bacon is really a matter of preference. If you like extra-crunchy bits of bacon in the strata, then fry it until it breaks into shards on the plate when cooled. If you prefer a softer finish to the dish without crunchy bits in the mix, then fry until it’s browned but still soft.
ALL-AMERICAN KNOW-HOW For any strata, the eggs should be at room temperature prior to cooking so they cook evenly. Either leave the eggs out on the counter for 20 minutes or submerge them (in their shells) in a bowl of warm—not hot!—tap water for 5 minutes.
cowboy strata with sausage and beans
EFFORT: A LITTLE • PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES • COOK TIME: 2 TO 2½ HOURS • KEEPS ON WARM: NO • SERVES: 3 TO 10
2- TO 3½-QUART
8 ounces breakfast sausage, any casings removed
4 cups small cubes of fresh Italian bread
½ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
¾ cup drained and rinsed canned pinto beans
3 ounces (about ¾ cup) Cheddar cheese, grated
½ tsp crumbled dried sage
1½ cups milk
2 whole large eggs plus 1 yolk, at room temperature
4- TO 5½-QUART
1 pound breakfast sausage, any casings removed
8 cups small cubes of fresh Italian bread
1 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1½ cups drained and rinsed canned pinto beans
6 ounces (about 1½ cups) Cheddar cheese, grated
1 tsp crumbled dried sage
3 cups milk
4 whole large eggs plus 1 yolk, at room temperature
6- TO 8-QUART
1¾ pounds breakfast sausage, any casings removed
14 cups small cubes of fresh Italian bread
1½ cups chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2¾ cups drained and rinsed canned pinto beans
11 ounces (about 2¾ cups) Cheddar cheese, grated
1½ tsp crumbled dried sage
5¼ cups milk
7 whole large eggs plus 3 yolks, at room temperature
1 Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat for a couple of minutes, then crumble in the sausage meat. Cook, stirring often, until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage meat to a plate lined with paper towels to drain off the excess fat.
2 As the sausage cooks, preheat your broiler and position the oven rack about 5 inches away. Spread the bread cubes on a
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