Bacon, Cheddar and Spinach Strata

1. Oil bottom and sides of a 9x13-inch baking dish with about a tablespoon of bacon fat.

2. Place bread cubes in a large mixing bowl.

3. Crack eggs into a separate mixing bowl. Season with salt, pepper, cayenne, and nutmeg. Add cream and whisk mixture thoroughly.

4. Pour egg/cream mixture over the bread cubes and mix to distribute ingredients evenly. Allow bread mixture to sit about 15 minutes to absorb the liquid.

5. Transfer half of the bread mixture to the baking pan; spread evenly over the bottom and press mixture down a bit. Top with half of the grated Cheddar cheese. Add cooked bacon pieces in an even layer over the cheese. Place the cooked spinach over the bacon; top with half of the remaining cheese. Finish with the rest of the soaked bread cubes, spread evenly and pressed down slightly. Sprinkle with the rest of the grated cheese. Cover and let strata sit at room temperature for 1 hour before baking.

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

7. Bake strata in preheated oven until set, about 45 minutes. Optionally, you can broil the strata for a minute or two to brown the top.

Cook's Notes:

If you want something a little eggier, a little more quiche-like, just simply increase the amount of egg custard used. As long as your pan is deep enough, you could as much as double the eggs and cream in this.

This is a very rich dish, so you may want to cut the cream with milk. In fact, many people use all milk for this, but I do enjoy the extra butterfat the cream provides. As usual, let your conscience be your guide.

You can used thawed, drained frozen spinach instead of fresh. You'll need enough to cover one layer.

Instead of waiting for an hour to bake the prepared strata, you can bake it immediately or cover and refrigerate overnight and bake the next day.