A Sweet & Seasonal Breakfast Treat

By: E.J. Bowman

One pot dishes are great, especially at breakfast. one of our guests’ favorites is a seasonal twist on a classic breakfast treat. Our Lemon Almond Strata with Fresh Raspberries is served with a lemon raspberry sauce, which adds a punchy citrus flavor to the traditional bread pudding.

You can find fresh local raspberries at several farmers’ markets throughout Lancaster County. Depending on your shopping day, we recommend a visit to Root’s Country Market (open every Tuesday from 9:00am – 9:00pm April through October) for a wide variety of fresh produce or a stroll through Lancaster Central Market (open Tuesday and Fridays from 6:00am – 4:00pm and Saturdays from 6:00am – 2:00pm) for fresh berries and your choice of baked breads from Ric’s Breads.

So stop by the market, grab your ingredients and whip up this tasty treat for your family to enjoy this weekend. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb challah, brioche or soft French bread torn into bite sized pieces
  • ½ cup lemon curd
  • 1 cup fresh raspberries
  • 8 eggs beaten
  • 4 cups whole milk
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 cup slivered almonds

Lemon Raspberry sauce:

  1. In a saucepan, combine 12 oz fresh or frozen raspberries, ½ cup sugar, ¼ cup lemon juice, ¼ cup water, 2 tsp lemon zest and 2 T cornstarch.  Stir over med heat until it boils.  Strain to remove seeds.

Directions:

  1. Lightly grease a 13×9 baking dish. Layer half the torn bread in the pan. In small dollops, distribute lemon curd on top of the torn bread. Scatter the raspberries evenly. Layer remaining bread on top.
  2. Whisk together the milk, eggs, almond extract and salt. Pour over bread. Sprinkle with almonds. Cover and refrigerator overnight or at least four hours.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, uncover and bake strata for 55-60 minutes until egg mixture is cooked and almonds are toasted.  Serve warm with sauce and additional fresh raspberries.

Cook’s Note:

Refrigerating the strata before baking helps the bread soak up all the delicious eggy custard.

Do you have a favorite strata recipe? We are always looking for new recipes to make for our guests. Please share your recipes and comments below.