Maple-Sausage Featherbed Eggs
By Sarah GabrielPublished on September 5, 2013
Time
2¼ hours, plus 6 hours refrigerating
Yield
Serves 10 to 12
Ingredients
CORNBREAD
1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) cornmeal 1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda 1 ½ teaspoons pepper ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 ⅓ cups whole milk 2 large eggs, lightly beatenCUSTARD
1 pound breakfast sausage links10 ounces (283 grams) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 ½ cups)6 scallions, sliced thin4 cups whole milk 6 large eggs, lightly beaten½ cup plus 1 tablespoon maple syrup 1 teaspoon saltBefore You Begin
To weigh down the assembled strata, fill two 1-quart zipper-lock bags with rice or sugar and lay them side by side over the plastic-covered surface. Serve the strata with hot sauce.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with vegetable oil spray.
- Whisk cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, pepper, salt, and cayenne together in bowl. Whisk milk and eggs together in separate bowl. Whisk milk-egg mixture into cornmeal mixture until just combined. Pour batter into prepared sheet and spread to cover entire sheet. Bake until lightly browned and edges of cornbread pull away from sides of sheet, 17 to 19 minutes. Let cornbread cool in sheet on wire rack for 10 minutes. Do not turn off oven.
- Spray 13 by 9-inch baking dish with oil spray. Tear cornbread into 1-inch pieces and place in prepared dish. Line now-empty sheet with aluminum foil and place sausages on sheet. Bake until sausages register 165 degrees, about 10 minutes. When sausages are cool enough to handle, slice into ½-inch pieces. Add sausages, 1½ cups cheddar, and scallions to cornbread and toss to combine.
- Whisk milk, eggs, ½ cup maple syrup, and salt together in bowl; pour custard over cornbread mixture. Top casserole with remaining 1 cup cheddar. Cover with plastic wrap, weigh down, and refrigerate for 6 to 24 hours.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Remove weights from casserole and discard plastic. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Bake until lightly browned and center registers 170 degrees, 50 to 60 minutes. Let rest for 15 minutes. Serve.
for the cornbread
for the custard
Time
2¼ hours, plus 6 hours refrigeratingYield
Serves 10 to 12Ingredients
CORNBREAD
1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) cornmeal
1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons pepper
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 ⅓ cups whole milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
CUSTARD
1 pound breakfast sausage links
10 ounces (283 grams) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 ½ cups)
6 scallions, sliced thin
4 cups whole milk
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon salt
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
CORNBREAD
1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) cornmeal
1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons pepper
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 ⅓ cups whole milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
CUSTARD
1 pound breakfast sausage links
10 ounces (283 grams) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 ½ cups)
6 scallions, sliced thin
4 cups whole milk
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon salt
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
CORNBREAD
1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) cornmeal
1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons pepper
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 ⅓ cups whole milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
CUSTARD
1 pound breakfast sausage links
10 ounces (283 grams) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 ½ cups)
6 scallions, sliced thin
4 cups whole milk
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon salt
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Most recipes for this cornbread-based strata call for making homemade cornbread, cutting it into cubes, and staling it in the oven before proceeding with the usual strata protocol—mixing the bread with custard and letting it sit overnight. To speed up the process, we bake our cornbread on a rimmed baking sheet, creating a thin, quick-cooking layer of cornbread. The increased surface area also meant that we could eliminate the staling step. To prevent the spices from clumping in the custard, we add them to the cornbread batter instead. Eggs, milk, cheddar cheese, and scallions make for a rich, flavorful base for this make-ahead brunch dish.
Before You Begin
To weigh down the assembled strata, fill two 1-quart zipper-lock bags with rice or sugar and lay them side by side over the plastic-covered surface. Serve the strata with hot sauce.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with vegetable oil spray.
- Whisk cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, pepper, salt, and cayenne together in bowl. Whisk milk and eggs together in separate bowl. Whisk milk-egg mixture into cornmeal mixture until just combined. Pour batter into prepared sheet and spread to cover entire sheet. Bake until lightly browned and edges of cornbread pull away from sides of sheet, 17 to 19 minutes. Let cornbread cool in sheet on wire rack for 10 minutes. Do not turn off oven.
- Spray 13 by 9-inch baking dish with oil spray. Tear cornbread into 1-inch pieces and place in prepared dish. Line now-empty sheet with aluminum foil and place sausages on sheet. Bake until sausages register 165 degrees, about 10 minutes. When sausages are cool enough to handle, slice into ½-inch pieces. Add sausages, 1½ cups cheddar, and scallions to cornbread and toss to combine.
- Whisk milk, eggs, ½ cup maple syrup, and salt together in bowl; pour custard over cornbread mixture. Top casserole with remaining 1 cup cheddar. Cover with plastic wrap, weigh down, and refrigerate for 6 to 24 hours.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Remove weights from casserole and discard plastic. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Bake until lightly browned and center registers 170 degrees, 50 to 60 minutes. Let rest for 15 minutes. Serve.
for the cornbread
for the custard
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