Spinach Strata with Romesco Sauce

This is so freakin' good - it's pretty easy and looks and tastes incredibly gourmet!

Spinach Strata
Ingredients:
2 T. fresh break crumbs, divided

1 T. fresh garlic, sliced
1 1/4 cups fresh spinach, packed
1 T. lowfat plain yogurt

2 whole eggs
2 egg whites
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/8 t. kosher salt
1/8 t. cayenne

6 sliced French baguette, 1/4" thick, divided
1/4 cup Swiss cheese, shredded, divided

Tangy Romesco Sauce, below

Coat two 12 oz. ramekins with non-stick spray. Sprinkle 1 T. crumbs in each ramekin and rotate until inside is coated. Tap out excess crumbs and arrange ramekins on a baking sheet.

Saute garlic in oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until it begins to brown, about 1 minute. Off heat, add spinach and stir until wilted. Add yogurt to spinach mixture and transfer to food processor (I just put in bowl and used hand blender); pulse until minced.

Beat eggs, whites, buttermilk, salt, and cayenne in a bowl until blended.

To assemble - cut bread to fit ramekins, if necessary (I actually had to use 12 pieces and use 2 per layer). Spread 1 T. spinach mixture on one side of each break slice and place a slice in each ramekin. Sprinkle with 1 T. cheese, then top with 1/4 cup egg mixture; repeat layering with bread, cheese, and egg. Top with a third slice of bread, spinach side down, and 1/4 egg mixture.

Weight down bread and let stand 30 minutes (you may want to put foil under ramekins - when I weighed them down the egg mixture overflowed and I still can't get if off the pan); preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove weights and bake stratas until brown and puffed, 30-40 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before removing from ramekins and serving with romesco.

Romesco Sauce
total time - 15 minutes

1/2 cup jarred roasted red bell peppers
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 T. sugar
2 T. slivered almonds, toasted (I actually left this out and it was fine)
1 t. tomato paste
salt and red pepper flakes

Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

plum cake tatin

i watched barefoot contessa the other day (just got a channel which plays it) and she made this lovely cake. i gave it a shot on my birthday. the measurements are all in cups and i don't have cup measuring tools. and i don't have a mixer. but given that, it came out perfect. and it looks beautiful. so i can only imagine it's a fool-proof recipe if you do have measuring cups and a mixer.

6 tablespoons (3⁄4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing the dish
10 to 12 purple "prune" plums, cut in half and pitted
1 3 & 4 cups granulated sugar, divided
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 & 3 cup sour cream
1 &2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 & 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 & 2 teaspoon baking powder
1 & 4 teaspoon kosher salt
Confectioners' sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 9-inch glass pie dish and arrange the plums in the dish, cut side down.

Combine 1 cup of the granulated sugar and 1⁄3 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over high heat until it turns a warm amber color, about 360 degrees on a candy thermometer. Swirl the pan but don't stir. Pour evenly over the plums.

Meanwhile, cream the 6 tablespoons of butter and the remaining 3⁄4 cup of granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy. Lower the speed and beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the sour cream, zest, and vanilla and mix until combined. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and, with the mixer on low speed, add it to the butter mixture. Mix only until combined.

Pour the cake batter evenly over the plums and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto a flat plate. If a plum sticks, ease it out and replace it in the design on top of the cake. Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with confectioners' sugar.

Update: I just made it again with peaches instead of plums, brown sugar in the batter instead of white sugar and whip cream instead of sour cream. turned out even better. this is a fun recipe to play with.