This recipe, the best of its type I’ve ever tried, is fairly main course-y. Serve it with some kind of fruit, and you’re done!

Hands-On Time: 20 minutes
Ready In: 3 1/2 hours
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

6 English muffins, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, or 8 thick slices of Italian bread, cubed
1/2 pound bulk sausage (or breakfast sausage with the casings removed)
12 ounces Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese, grated
4 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups milk (any kind)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Directions

1. At least two hours before you’ll be baking the strata, heat oven to 350. On a cookie sheet, in a single layer, bake English muffin or bread cubes for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are dried out and beginning to brown. Turn oven off, remove cubes, and let cool while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

1. In a skillet, brown and break up sausage and transfer it to paper towels to drain. Brush a 2-quart soufflé or casserole dish with about a tablespoon of the fat from the skillet. In the dish, arrange layers as follows: 1/3 English muffin cubes, 1/3 cheese, all the sausage, 1/3 English muffin cubes, 1/3 cheese, 1/3 English muffin cubes. Press the contents of the dish down firmly.

1. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, mustard, cayenne, and Worcestershire sauce; pour mixture over strata. Top the dish with remaining cheese, and drizzle the top with melted butter. Chill, covered, at least an hour, or overnight.

1. Let dish stand at room temperature for 45 minutes before you bake it. Heat oven to 350. Bake strata for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until it’s golden brown and puffy.

Recipe Directions

1. Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 325°F. Coat a nonstick muffin tin generously with cooking spray (see Tip).
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Add oil to the pan. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to the bowl with the sausage. Let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in scallions, cheese and pepper.
3. Whisk eggs, egg whites and milk in a medium bowl. Divide the egg mixture evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle a heaping tablespoon of the sausage mixture into each cup.
4. Bake until the tops are just beginning to brown, 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Place a rack on top of the pan, flip it over and turn the quiches out onto the rack. Turn upright and let cool completely.

Individually wrap in plastic and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. To reheat, remove plastic, wrap in a paper towel and microwave on High for 30 to 60 seconds.

A good-quality nonstick muffin tin works best for this recipe. If you don’t have one, line a regular muffin tin with foil baking cups.

Health Advantages: low calorie, low carb, low sat fat, low sodium, heart healthy, healthy weight.

Ingredients

• 1 frozen pie crust from a box, thawed (or use your favorite single-crust recipe)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 8 ounces turkey bacon
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 leek
• 1/4 pound Gruyere cheese, grated
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Unfold crust and roll to 12-inches in diameter. Gently lower into a 9-inch pie plate, taking care not to stretch the dough. Trim edges so it overhangs the rim of the pie plate by one half inch. Fold edges under, and crimp decoratively if desired.
2. Prick bottom of crust all over with the tines of a fork. Line crust with foil and fill with dried beans, rice or pie weights. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, discard foil and set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
3. Meanwhile, prepare leek. Cut off root end, peel away outer leaves. The only part you will be using is the white and light green part so trim any dark green ends. Cut the leek lengthwise and wash all of the sand and grit out of the layers. Slice thinly and set aside.
4. Brown turkey bacon in a skillet over medium heat until not quite crisp. Remove from pan, cut into small pieces and set aside. Melt butter in same skillet over medium-low heat, add leeks and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. Spread mustard on the bottom of the pre-baked pie crust. Fill with cheese, and sprinkle with bacon and leeks. Whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour over cheese mixture in the crust. Return quiche to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until middle is set and top is puffed and golden. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat an 11-by-7-inch glass baking dish or a 2-quart casserole with cooking spray.
2. To prepare custard: Whisk egg whites, eggs and milk in a medium bowl. Add mustard, pepper and rosemary: whisk to combine.
3. Toss bread, spinach, roasted red peppers and ham in a large bowl. Add the custard and toss well to coat. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and push down to compact. Cover with foil.
4. Bake until the custard has set, 40 to 45 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and continue baking until the pudding is puffed and golden on top, 15 to 20 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Prepare the pudding through Step 3; refrigerate overnight. Let stand at room temperature while the oven preheats. Bake as directed in Step 4.

To wilt greens, rinse greens thoroughly in cool water. Transfer them to a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and punch several holes in the wrap. Microwave on high until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Squeeze out any excess moisture from the greens before adding them to the recipe.

Health Advantages: healthy weight, heart healthy, high calcium, low sat fat, low calorie.

Hands-On Time: 15 minutes
Ready In: 1 hour
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients
1 loaf of French bread, cut into 1 1/2-inch slices
1 bunch of asparagus, washed, bottoms snapped off, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
5 large eggs
2 1/2 cups whole milk (or a mixture of low-fat milk and cream or half and half)
2 teaspoons kosher salt (or half as much table salt)
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon snipped chives
1/2 pound cheese, grated (try Swiss, cheddar, Monterey jack, or a combination)

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350 and grease a large casserole dish. Place the bread on a large baking sheet and toast for 10 or so minutes, until it is dry to the touch, but not browned.
2. Meanwhile, bring a small pot of salted water to a boil and cook the asparagus pieces for 3 minutes, then drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and herbs.
3. Arrange the bread slices in the casserole dish, overlapping as little as possible, then arrange the asparagus over the bread, sprinkle with the cheese, and pour the custard over all, pressing down any bread pieces that aren’t submerged. Allow to sit for half an hour or so, so that the bread can absorb the egg mixture–or else refrigerate it, covered, overnight. Bake it in the middle of the oven for 35-45 minutes, until it is puffed and brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Like the crisp, the poached apple cubes are delicious all by themselves. You want to use flavorful, tart-tasting apples that will keep their shape when cooked but soften up nicely and remain moist too. Good varieties are Greening, Granny Smith, Northern Spy and Golden Delicious. Some of the heirloom cooking apples that orchards are growing again would be fine too — we can never have too many varieties of apples to enjoy.

Hands-On Time: 35 minutes
Ready In: 1 hour
Yield: 10 or more servings

Ingredients

For Poaching the Apples
4 pounds firm, tart apples for baking (see note above)
Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons), freshly squeezed and strained
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water

For the Parfait
3 cups heavy cream, for whipping
2 to 3 cups Brown Sugar Crisp Crumbles (recipe follows)

Recommended Equipment
A large saucepan, 5- or 6-quart capacity, with a cover

Directions

Poaching the Apples

1. Cut the apples in thick wedges, peel, and cut away the cores and seeds. Slice the wedges into chunks and cubes, an inch thick or larger (don’t cut them too small or they will overcook). As you work, put the apple chunks in a mixing bowl and toss with some of the lemon zest and juice, to prevent browning. When you’re finished, you should have about 10 cups of apples mixed with all the zest and juice.

1. Pour the sugar over the apples, and toss gently to coat the pieces. Turn all the fruit into the saucepan, slosh the bowl with the 1/2 cup water to rinse out all the sugar, and pour that into the pan too.

1. Set the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the water to a boil. Stir the apples gently (so they’re all heating), cover the pan, and cook about 2 minutes. Remove the cover, and continue to boil, reducing the juices, stirring the apple chunks around a couple of times, but not mushing them up. After 5 or 6 minutes, when the apples have softened and turned translucent on the outside (they won’t be cooked all the way through), remove the pan from the heat. If the chunks have started to all apart, turn them out of the saucepan into a bowl to stop cooking; otherwise, let the apples and the remaining liquid cool to room temperature (the chunks will reabsorb some of their juices as they sit).

1. The apples can be cooked a day ahead and refrigerated; let them warm up a bit before serving.

Brown Sugar Crisp Crumbles
Yield: 4 to 5 cups of crumbled-up crisp

Ingredients

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 stick cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons cold water

Recommended Equipment
A food processor or hand-held pastry cutter
A rimmed baking sheet
Parchment paper

Directions

Poaching the Apples

1. Preheat the oven to 400.

1. It’s quickest to mix the crisp in the food processor, fitted with the metal blade. Put the flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt in the workbowl. Process briefly to blend the dry ingredients. Drop in the butter pieces and pulse a dozen or so times, until the butter has been uniformly cut into a sandy powder of small bits. Sprinkle on the water, and process for a couple of seconds only, just to moisten the dough; it should still be rather loose and granular.

1. To mix by hand, blend the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and cut the butter into the grainy powder with a pastry cutter. Toss the powder and water with a fork to moisten.

1. Line the baking sheet with the parchment paper. Sprinkle the loose grains of dough evenly — in one layer — in an oval shape about 8 by 12 inches, filling in any holes and keeping the layer thin; don’t compress them.

1. Bake for about 10 minutes, then rotate back to front, for even heating. The crumbs will have melted together, spread out in a thin layer, and perhaps started to bubble. Bake for another 7 to 10 minutes or more, until the layer is deeply caramelized, golden brown all over (and probably very dark on the edges). It will resemble a giant brown sugar cookie.

1. Set the pan on a wire rack, and cool until the cookie is very crisp. Cut or break off any burnt edges. Crack the cookie into crispy flakes, an inch or smaller. This is a good size for munching; you can crumble them up a bit more when layering the parfait.

   Assembling the Parfaits

2. Have the apples, crumbled-up crisp, and serving glasses ready.

1. Whip the cream until soft peaks form, by hand or in an electric mixer. (No sugar or flavoring is needed, since the apples and crisp are quite sweet.)

1. Spoon about 1/2 cup of apple chunks into each glass, making a thick layer that fills the bottom. Scatter crisp crumbles on top — anywhere from 2 to 5 tablespoons on each parfait. Plop 1/2 cup or so of whipped cream on top of the crisp crumbles.

1. Now repeat the layers — apples, crumbles, cream — in each glass. These can be smaller amounts, or as ample as the bottom layers, for an impressive and generous dessert.

   Recipe reprinted with permission from Lidia’s Family Table by Lidia 

Ingredients

• 4 cups mixed melon balls, (cantaloupe, watermelon, or honey dew)
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lime peel

Directions

1. Halve your melons and seed them, then scoop out bite-sized balls with a melon ball scooper and toss together in a large bowl. (If you don’t have a melon ball scooper, a teaspoon will do — though the result won’t be quite as round.)
2. Whisk together the freshly-squeezed lime juice, honey and lime zest, then pour over the melon and gently toss to combine. Refrigerate for one hour for flavors to develop.

Ingredients

• 1 cup irish steel-cut oats
• 4 cups water
• 1 medium apple, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup half and half

Directions

1. Grease the bowl of your crock pot with cooking spray. Add all ingredients, and stir well.
2. Cover and set crock pot to low. Cook for 8-9 hours.
3. Stir contents of the crock pot well, spoon into bowls and top with dried fruit, toasted nuts, brown sugar and buttermilk (or cream).

Ingredients

• 1 loaf brioche (or challah) bread
• 6 extra large eggs
• 3/4 cup half and half
• pinch salt
•  zest from one orange
• a few drops orange flower water, optional
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
•  confectioner’s sugar

Directions

1. Heat large griddle to medium and turn on oven to 200 degrees.
2. Slice bread, with serrated bread knife, into 1-inch thick slices. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl whisk together eggs through maple syrup. Pour into a 9×9 inch square pan.
4. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter on the griddle.
5. Dip slices of bread, one by one, in the egg mixture, making sure they are coated thoroughly. Then place on the griddle. Fry in the butter on the griddle, about 3-4 minutes per side, or until crisp and golden.
6. Set on large platter, cover with foil and place in the oven to keep warm while you make the next batch. It might be necessary to add more butter to the griddle.
7. When all the slices have been cooked, sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and serve with warm maple syrup and orange slices.

Ingredients

• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut in 1/4 inch slices
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 3 extra-large eggs, room temperature
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• pinch salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  1. 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade attachment.
     2. Toss apple slices with lemon juice, brown sugar, 3 tablespoons of the granulated sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter in a 10-inch oven proof skillet over medium heat. Add apple mixture, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes. Remove apples and any liquid to a bowl to cool.
     3. Wipe out skillet and place in the oven to heat it while you mix milk, eggs, flour, salt, remaining sugar and vanilla in a blender until smooth.
     4. Add remaining butter hot skillet. Pour in batter. Spoon apple mixture over the top, then bake pancake in the oven on the middle rack until puffed and golden and cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.