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Wild Mushroom Brunch Casserole

Source of Recipe

From "Crazy for Casseroles" by James Villas


Recipe Introduction

"This brunch casserole is one of the best ways I know to highlight the earthy distinction of wild mushrooms, and while I usually try to find the fresh varieties available today in so many markets, I don't hesitate a second to use about 2 ounces of dried ceps or shiitakes (exotic morels and chanterelles can be hideously expensive) soaked about 2 hours in ½ cup of cold water. (You can speed things up by soaking them only 30 minutes in warm water, but the flavor won't be as intense.) One advantage to using dried mushrooms, in fact, is that you can add the fragrant soaking water (strained to remove any grit) to the milk mixture for even more savor. Do check this casserole after about 30 minutes to make sure it doesn't get too dry."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 8 strips lean bacon
â—¦ 3 tablespoons butter
â—¦ ¾ pound fresh wild mushrooms (chanterelles, ceps, shiitakes, or morels), stems removed or trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
â—¦ 4 scallions (white part only), chopped
â—¦ 1 small green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
â—¦ 10 slices multigrain bread
â—¦ 1 ½ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (preferably aged)
â—¦ 6 large eggs
â—¦ 2 ½ cups milk
â—¦ 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
â—¦ Salt and black pepper to taste
â—¦ 1 large ripe tomato, peeled, seeded, and diced


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter a 2 ½-quart casserole and set aside.

In a large skillet, fry the bacon over moderate heat till crisp, drain on paper towels, crumble, and set aside.

Pour off the fat from the skillet, melt the butter over moderate heat, add the mushrooms, scallions, and bell pepper; cook, stirring, till soft, about 10 minutes, and remove from the heat.

Arrange 5 slices of the bread in the casserole, top with half the cheese, and spoon all the mushroom mixture over the cheese. Arrange the remaining bread slices over the mushrooms and top with the remaining cheese.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, and mustard, season with salt and pepper, and pour evenly over top of the casserole. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon and tomato over the top and bake till a knife inserted in the middle comes out almost clean, about 45 minutes.

Makes 8 to 10 servings