Chile Relleno Strata

Boo Chef in West Texas's Note:

received this in an email. Yum! If you use fresh bread, it has an omelet like consistency; if you use stale bread, it yields a more custardy consistency.

• Total Time: 2 hrs 55 mins
• Prep Time: 2 hrs
• Cook Time: 55 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 8-10

Yield: 1.0 strata

• 4 large fresh poblano chiles
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, minced
• 1 lb sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 3/4 cups sour cream, plus more for topping if desired (1-pound container)
• 1/2 cup tomatillo salsa, plus more for topping if desired
• 1/4 cup minced cilantro
• 10 large eggs
• 3 1/2 cups half-and-half
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

Directions:

1. If you have a gas stove, lay one poblano at a time over high heat, turning occasionally, until the skin is black on all sides, about 8 minutes. Repeat with each poblano. Alternatively, turn on the oven to high broil. Once heated, place poblanos on the top rack and broil until the skin is black on all sides, about 8 minutes. Place in a heatproof bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside until chiles are cool enough to handle, about 10 to 15 minutes. Peel off skins, remove seeds, and cut chiles into large dice.
2. Heat oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, seasoning well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook until tender and translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside.
3. Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking dish; set aside. In a large bowl, combine bread, poblanos, sour cream, onion, salsa, and cilantro until everything is coated in sour cream. Put mixture into the baking dish and set aside.
4. Whisk eggs with half-and-half in a separate large bowl; season with kosher salt and a good amount of freshly ground black pepper. Pour custard over bread mixture. Cover and refrigerate strata overnight.
5. Heat oven to 350°F Remove strata from the refrigerator about 20 to 30 minutes before you plan to bake it. Bake strata until it is puffed, golden brown, and slightly set in the center, about 50 to 55 minutes. Top with salsa and sour cream, as desired. Serve hot.

Reviews

[Chef #714794]

I would give it 3 stars, but everybody that I served this to really liked it. I personally thought it had way too much sourdough bread flavor and not enough poblano pepper or chile relleno flavor. I'll have to tweak this quite a bit starting with a different kind of bread, perhaps potato, or less sourdough. And adding at least two more poblano peppers. Then adding more tomatillo salsa and less sour cream and perhaps some pepper jack cheese. The bake time was off too. I'll start with a higher temp at 400 degrees and experiment. The poblano pepper roasting directions were spot on. I used my gas BBQ, but put them in a paper lunch bag after roasting. The blackened skin will peel a little easier that way. Anyway, I'll give this recipe a few more tries before I throw this baby out with the bathwater.

[Darkhunter]

Delicious! We will have this often. Made this for a light lunch yesterday and it was enjoyed by all. Loved using the tomatillo salsa in this dish. Thnx for sharing another great recipe, Carolyn. Made for PAC Fall 2009.

[Buster's friend]

Was going to post this same recipe I received from www.Chow.com! Thank you for posting - I'll write a review when our garden starts making the peppers, tomatoes & cilantro. This seems like an ideal Sunday brunch dish!