Killing Me Softly

Basically. NaPoBloMo has me a woman on the brink. I am finding that even more than usual, I am thinking of food, trying to come up with things to post and say. It is a huge statement to say I have never thought of food more; this is coming from a woman who used to be able to eat a whole pint of ice cream and then wash it down with some french fries. Those days are far behind me, but I do feel a bit of uneasiness with how much I have been thinking of recipes, combing through epicurious and visiting a billion food blogs. Maybe one day I will get into the weight saga of the old Lemmonex, but this is something I cannot think about with the orgy that is Thanksgiving two days away. Plus, dude, who wants to hear another girl bitch about her weight on the internet? I may have to take a few days off after Thanksgiving from this and get a big fat F in NaPoBloMo–I need to detox.

Continuing on my path of self destruction, I made a strata this weekend to celebrate Irish Lebowski’s b’day. She came over for brunch, we kvetched, fun was had by all. The strata was decadent and over the top; kind of how I like most things. The recipe below was actually tweaked a lot to cut a decent amount of fat, but make no mistake about it; this is not good for you. A small amount will not kill you, though, and we cut the richness with a salad. As we ate this creamy, eggy dish, we both observed that fruit salad may have been better. This would be the perfect kind of dish to serve over the holidays. It can easily sit in the fridge–as the flavors intensify–and be popped in the oven in the morning.

(For once, it is not me with the photo problems…damn you Wordpress)

Goat Cheese, Artichoke and Smoked Ham Strata

Adapted from Bon Apetit

2 cups low fat milk

1/4 cup olive oil

8 cups 1-inch cubes sourdough bread or soft top white bread

1 1/2 cups fat free half and half

5 large eggs

1 large chopped garlic clove

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

6 ounces soft fresh goat cheese (such as Montrachet), crumbled

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 1/2 teaspoons herbes de Provence

12 ounces smoked ham, chopped

2 6 1/2-ounce jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained, halved lengthwise

1 cup (packed) grated Fontina cheese

1 1/2 cups (packed) grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Whisk milk and oil in large bowl. Stir in bread. Let stand until liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes.

Whisk cream and next 5 ingredients in another large bowl to blend. Add goat cheese. Mix herbs in small bowl to blend.

Place half of bread mixture in prepared dish. Top with half of ham, artichoke hearts, herbs, and cheeses. Pour half of cream mixture over. Repeat layering with remaining bread, ham, artichoke hearts, herbs, cheeses, and cream mixture. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)

Bake uncovered until firm in center and brown around edges, about 1 hour.

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