RR~Egg Cake

I got this recipe from Rachael Ray.

There are some nice things about this recipe. First off, it's easy to scale it up or down to whatever size family you are serving.
Secondly, it's made with common ingredients most cooks have on hand.
Thirdly...cheap! eggs, cheese, onion, bread.
Fourth, you can play around with this recipe and make it your own.

I scaled it down for 2 servings and used a small casserole dish. I used regular yellow sharp cheddar. Who cares what color it is? lol I used some left over dinner rolls, used skim milk, and omitted the nutmeg. I think you could easily use egg beaters instead of regular eggs.


This recipe serves 4

• 6 slices thick-cut bacon
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Nonstick cooking spray (or EVOO), for coating the pan
• 3 cups soft bread, torn (about 1/2 a bakery loaf)
• 1 cup plus 1/4 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese, divided
• 8 eggs
• 3/4 cup half-and-half (or whatever you put in your morning coffee)
• A few grates fresh nutmeg, divided
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about a handful)

Preparation

Preheat an oven to 400ºF. Lightly coat an 8-inch cake pan with butter.

Place a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon in the pan until crispy and golden brown, 3-4 minutes per side. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to cool.

Pour off all but a tablespoon of the bacon drippings then add the onion to the pan. Cook until tender and slightly brown, 5-6 minutes, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. While the onions are cooking, chop up the cooled bacon and reserve.

To the cake pan, add half of the bread, half of the cheese, the onions and half of the chopped bacon to the cake pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, a few dashes of nutmeg and some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour half of the egg mixture over everything in the pan.

Add the rest of the bread, pressing down slightly, the remaining cheese and bacon to the pan. Pour the rest of the egg mixture over the top and sprinkle the Parmigiano Reggiano over everything.

Transfer the cake pan to the oven and bake until puffy and golden brown on top, about 20 minutes. It shouldn't look wobbly in the middle. (Don't worry if the puffiness falls down when you take it out of the oven, that'll happen).