By Mrs. Tilford asked me on Tuesday if I would cater the brunch for the First Baptist church board meeting on Saturday January nineteenth. The board meets four times a year and the brunch is a tradition. The recipe she asked for was an Italian apricot pancetta strata from a recent A Family Feast post she had clipped — cubed sourdough soaked overnight in an egg-and-cream custard with pancetta, dried apricots, fresh thyme, and gruyere, baked the morning of.
The math: a loaf of sourdough $3.99, four ounces of pancetta $4.99, dried apricots $2.99, gruyere $3.99, eight eggs, cream, thyme. Total: about $19.95 for a 9-by-13 pan. Reimbursement $50 and tip $25.
The technique is the overnight soak. The bread cubes need to sit in the custard overnight in the fridge for the bread to fully absorb. Bake at 350 covered for thirty minutes, uncovered fifteen more.
The board meeting Saturday went well. Two of the board members — both wives of First Baptist deacons — asked me to cater small private events in February.
The recipe is below. The trick is the overnight soak.
Italian Apricot Pancetta Strata
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 55 min | Total Time: 1 hr 15 min (plus overnight soak) | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 loaf (about 14 oz) Italian or ciabatta bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 8 cups)
- 6 oz pancetta, diced
- 1/2 cup dried apricots, roughly chopped
- 1 small shallot, finely minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyere or fontina cheese, divided
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for greasing
Instructions
- Cook the pancetta. In a skillet over medium heat, cook diced pancetta until lightly crisped, about 5–7 minutes. Add shallot and garlic and cook 2 more minutes until softened. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Layer the bread. Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish. Spread half the bread cubes in an even layer. Scatter the pancetta mixture, chopped apricots, and 3/4 cup of the cheese over the bread. Top with remaining bread cubes.
- Make the custard. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cream, Dijon mustard, thyme, salt, and pepper until fully combined.
- Soak overnight. Pour the custard evenly over the bread layers, pressing down gently so every cube is coated. Sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup cheese over the top. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Bake. Remove the strata from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°F. Uncover and bake 50–60 minutes, until the top is golden and the custard is set in the center (a knife inserted in the middle should come out clean).
- Rest and serve. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm directly from the baking dish.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 430 | Protein: 21g | Fat: 24g | Carbs: 34g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 680mg