Brie and Sausage Breakfast Casserole

 

I made this casserole a lot when I opened my Bed and Breakfast. The sage aroma emanating from the oven halfway through baking is almost inebriating - a wonderful experience much like walking into a coffee shop first thing in the morning. This dish pleasantly wakes you up, that's for sure!  The beauty of this recipe is most of the prep work is done the night before. Only a "bit" to do the next morning. Dad and you, James, always loved this casserole a lot. I'm not particularly fond of casseroles -- be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner. However, I absolutely love this one. It's great served with warm croissants and your favorite fresh fruit. I also served my cream cheese pound cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream -- a great finale to a relaxing weekend breakfast! Yum! I have now stolen Julie Powell's famous "yum" to describe an amazing food experience (from the movie, Julie and Julia). There's just no other word quite as affective.

Ingredients: 
1 8-ounce round Brie*
1 pound ground hot pork sausage
1 small onion, finely diced
1 (14 inch) Italian bread, ends trimmed
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
10 large eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups whipping cream
2 cups organic whole or 2% milk (or your preference)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1 teaspoon seasoned salt -- I use Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard


* 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese may be substituted for the brie, but I strongly recommend using brie

Directions (the night before): 
Trim rind from brie, discard. Cut cheese into cubes; set aside.
Cook sausage and onion in large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink; drain well.

Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Slice bread in half lengthwise then slice each half into ½ inch-thick slices. Spread the bread in single layers on two rimmed baking sheets and bake until golden, 10-15 minutes, flipping bread and switching and rotating sheets halfway through (or bake one sheet pan at a time). Take care not to let the bread burn – it should be golden brown and toasted. Let the bread cool for 15 minutes.

Grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish lightly with butter.  Spread 1/2 of the the bread slices evenly over the bottom of the dish, spread 1/2 of the sausage and onion over the bread slices, then add 1/2 of the Brie and 1/2 of the Parmesan Cheese.  Repeat with remaining bread, sausage/onion, brie, and Parmesan cheese.

Whisk together 10 eggs, 2 cups whipping cream, 2 cups of milk, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon of dried sage, 1 teaspoon seasoned salt, and 1 teaspoon dry mustard. Pour evenly over cheeses. 

1. Place the casserole on a rimmed baking sheet and wrap the casserole with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap lightly on the top of the casserole. Fill another 9X13-inch dish with cans of food (beans, fruit, whatever) and nest the weighted dish on top of the assembled casserole. You’ll be glad you placed the assembled casserole on a rimmed baking sheet at this point as there may be a bit of spillage over the sides as the casserole compacts. This will help the bread soak up the egg mixture. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
2. Prior to baking, allow casserole to stand at room temperature for a bit.  When ready to bake, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Remove weights, unwrap casserole, and bake until the edges and center have puffed and the top is golden brown, about 1 hour. Let it cool for 20 minutes before serving.

 

Garnishes:
chopped green onions, shaved Parmesan cheese

Prep: 20 minutes, chill 8 hours, bake 1 hour

Yield: 8-10 servings