A few months ago I found out about the OXO brand Blogger Outreach Program which partners bloggers with OXO to get the word out about new products and ideas. Since I love their products, I promptly signed up to work with them. Then a couple of weeks ago I got an email from OXO telling me that teeny tiny foodie had been selected as one of the blogs to test out some new egg-related cooking tools they’ve created. I pretty much skipped around the rest of that day.
The other day, Eliana and I came home and saw my box of free, sample OXO Good Grips egg tools. Yippee! Obviously, I had to make eggs for dinner that night. I combed the fridge for ingredients and found some roasted potatoes, carrots and red onions I’d made over the weekend as well as cheese, herbs and eggs. So, a vegetable strata I would make.
Here’s my revised recipe for a vegetable strata and at the end of the post are my thoughts on the OXO Good Grips 3-in-1 Egg Separator and OXO Good Grips Egg Beater.
Roasted Vegetable and Cheese Strata
This is a 3-part recipe. Part 1 is prep time and takes around 30 minutes. I used vegetables that I had roasted earlier in the week so the cooking time was less but it still took time to chop herbs, shred the cheese and prep the eggs and spices. Part 2 is the resting time. The strata needs to rest in the fridge for at least an hour and up to 12 hours so the bread gets soaked through and the flavors meld together. Part 3 is the baking time. It takes 40-45 minutes to bake in the oven.
- -1¾ cup roasted vegetables, chopped
- -6 egg whites and 3 whole eggs
- -A splash of organic 1% milk
- -2 heels of sliced bread, cut into 1-inch chunks
- -¼ whole wheat baguette, cut into 1-inch chunks
- -Around ¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
- -Around ½ tablespoon rosemary, finely chopped
- -¾ cup fresh mozzarella, shredded
- -¾ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- -¾ cup fresh mozzarella cut into ½-inch chunks
- -1½ teaspoon salt
- -¼ teaspoon pepper
- -⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- -½ teaspoon garlic powder
Part 1: Preparing the Strata
Butter an 8×8-inch baking dish. Mix the two kinds of bread chunks together in a small bowl. Mix the chopped roasted vegetables and the chopped herbs in another bowl and set aside.
The OXO Good Grips Tools
Into a medium-sized bowl and using the OXO Good Grips 3-in-1 Egg Separator, crack 6 eggs and let their whites drop into the bowl. Add 3 whole eggs, the milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder and cayenne pepper to the bowl. Beat until blended using the OXO Good Grips Egg Beater.
The 3-in-1 Egg Separator
The OXO Good Grips Egg Beater
The strata will have two layers. Build the bottom layer of the strata in the following order:
- 1. Half the bread chunks onto the bottom of the baking dish creating an even layer
- 2. Half the vegetable and herb mixture
- 3. ⅓ of the shredded cheese mixture
- 4. Half of the egg mixture
- 5. ⅓ of the fresh mozzarella chunks over the egg
Create a second layer repeating the steps above with the rest of the bread, vegetable and herb mixture, ⅓ more of the shredded cheese mixture, the rest of the eggs and ⅓ of the fresh mozzarella.
Using parchment paper or wax paper, push down on the top of the strata to make sure all of the bread is covered. Cover the dish with plastic wrap. Place a plate on top of the baking dish and put a 1-2 pound weight on top of it. A 28-ounce can of tomatoes works perfectly.
Part 2: Resting time:
Refrigerate for 1-12 hours. I left it for 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Part 3: Cooking the strata:
Heat the oven to 325°. Remove the strata from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. Top the strata with last third of the shredded cheese mixture and the mozzarella chunks. Place the strata on a foil-lined baking sheet (to catch any potential overflow) and cook the strata, uncovered and on the middle rack, for 40-45 minutes.
Let cool for around 5 minutes before serving.
The OXO Good Grips 3-in-1 Egg Separator:
Typically, I crack my eggs on the counter and pour the whites into a bowl, catching the yolk with half the shell. Sometimes I lose a bit of the whites in this process or the yolk ends up cracking so it isn’t a perfect system. Using the OXO Good Grips 3-in-1 Egg Separator was totally different because it sits on the side of the bowl in order to allow you to crack the egg directly on the bowl. A neat little feature is that it has two widths- one for skinny bowls and one for wide bowls. It took me a few moments to get used to it, but it works perfectly. The yolk stays in the little basket while the whites drip right through. It seems like the perfect little tool for making anything where you need to separate the egg yolk from the white. And, it is dishwasher safe, so that’s a major plus.
The OXO Good Grips Egg Beater:
Typically, I whisk my eggs with either a fork or an actual whisk. I didn’t love this tool because it took a while to fully break and beat the yolks and it is much faster for me to go back to my original method of using a fork or whisk. But, I’m not giving up on this tool. I’m going to use it again to try to make whipped cream or when I make my next batch of muffins. And, even if I don’t fall in love with it, I know a teeny tiny chef who would love to add it to her kitchen.
Since Eliana is a huge fan of eggs, bread and cheese she was excited about the strata. She did, of course, pick out the “offensive” potatoes.
Eggs, bread and cheese? That’s a good start!
Mmm-this is yummy!
Muwah! Kiss!
(Eliana’s become a bit of a kissing bandit).
Happy Cooking!
Tags: carrots, onion, parsley, Thanksgiving
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