Strata

1. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

2. Put the bread cubes in the dish and sprinkle them with the cheese.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, mustard, and salt.

4. Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes.

5. Sprinkle the filling ingredients over the egg mixture and fold them in gently.

6. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

7. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

8. Uncover the baking dish and bake for 60 minutes, until the mixture has puffed up slightly and is golden brown on top, and the strata doesn't shimmy with uncooked custard when you shake the pan. Tent the dish with foil if the top is browning too quickly.

9. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serve by the spoonful, using a large serving spoon.

10. Variations: Caramelized Onions - Melt 3 tablespoons unsalted butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add 1 large onion, thinly sliced, turn down heat to medium-low, and sauté slowly for 20 minutes, until the onion caramelizes a bit.; Roasted Garlic - Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a square of foil, large enough to make a bundle around however many bulbs of garlic you plan to roast, on a work surface. Cut about 1/4 inch off the top of the garlic bulbs and place them on the foil, cut side up. Sprinkle each bulb with about 1 teaspoon olive oil, and gather the foil to make a bundle. The bundle doesn't need to be airtight, but it should be gathered at the top. Roast for about 1 hour, until soft. Then remove the garlic from the oven and let it cool, still bundled up, for at least 10 minutes. Open the bundle, separate the cloves, and peel them by popping the garlic out of the skins. The garlic should be soft and golden brown. Roasted garlic keeps for up to a week in an airtight container in the refrigerator.