Go Back

ROASTED LEMON MINT PESTO & MASCARPONE STRATA.

The perfect brunch strata for spring, with layers of bread and egg, mascarpone cheese, and roasted lemon mint pesto from the Kale & Caramel cookbook.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Roasted Lemon Mint Pesto & Mascarpone Strata
  • butter, for ramekins, cocottes, or pan
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 2/3 cup cubed bread
  • 1 cup Vermont Creamery mascarpone
  • 1 cup roasted lemon mint pesto recipe below
Roasted Lemon Mint Pesto
  • 1/2 medium lemon, washed, thinly sliced, and seeded
  • 1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 cup fresh mint leaves
  • 1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts or almonds
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Method
 

Make the pesto.
  1. Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper and lay the lemon slices in a single layer on the sheet. 
  2. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil. 
  3. Roast for 15 to 17 minutes, until the juices are tacky and the lemons are beginning to caramelize. 
  4. Let cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a small food processor, add the remaining 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons oil, the mint, hazelnuts, garlic, and salt and blend until you have a very lightly chunky pesto.
Make the strata.
  1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Butter the bottom and sides of four 8-oz. ramekins or mini cocottes. Alternatively, use an 8- or 9-inch pie pan.
  2. Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper, until completely blended.
  3. Add a 1/3 cup layer of cubed bread to the bottom of each ramekin. Cover with dollops of mascarpone and pesto, totaling 1 tablespoon of each. Add another 1/3 cup layer of cubed bread, and more dollops of mascarpone and pesto, totaling another 1 tablespoon of each. (Each ramekin gets 2/3 cup bread cubes, 2 tablespoons of mascarpone, and 2 tablespoons of pesto total.)
  4. Place ramekins on a large baking sheet. Pour about 3/4 cup of the egg mixture into each ramekin, filling to just below the top.
  5. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the strata has set and is beginning to brown on top. You may get some cheese and pesto spillover—that's what the baking sheet is for.
  6. Let cool for 5 minutes, then top with a final dollop of mascarpone and pesto, garnish with fresh mint leaves, and serve.

Notes

Roasted Lemon Mint Pesto recipe copyright © 2017 by Lily Diamond from KALE & CARAMEL: Recipes for Body, Heart, and Table published by Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.