Entertaining Royalty...

So...

I've been busy here.

And hot.

Yeah, definitely hot here.

But that is totally outside the focus of this post.

And, you know me, my blog posts are always brilliantly focused and not wandering here and there in various directions...

...and...

...what was I writing about here anyway?

Hmmm...

Hmmm...

Oh, yeah...

Entertaining royalty.

Mr. Jenny has a friend. He's been visiting us for years. Mr. Jenny calls him Sir
David and the first time I met him I was told Sir David's Father had been Knighted by Queen Elizabeth.

Apparently Sir David's Father was the “egg man” to the House of Windsor, starting in the 1930's. Wherever the King and/or Queen went, Sir David's Father would arrange to deliver fresh eggs from his farm in the Kent countryside to the Royal family.

See?

Royalty.

And since I was paying a little attention to the recent royal wedding, I realized I had been shirking my duties...

After all...

When you're entertaining royalty, you should make a bit of an effort.

So instead of my usual boring breakfast on Tuesday morning, I whipped together a gourmet Ham and Gruyere Breakfast Bake.



It was stunning.

Sir David and his wife dined sumptiously on the dish along with fresh Rainier cherries and cantaloupe.



Yum.

It was good.

Sir David and his lovely wife were pleased with the repast.




After they left the house to go sight-seeing (always a pleasure in triple digit heat advisory warnings), Mr. Jenny helped me clean up.

And told me...

"You know, he's not really a Knight, don't you? His Father, the Egg Man, won't pass the title on."

"Huh? What?" I sputtered.

Mr. Jenny repeated himself and added, "It's not the kind of Knight-hood that gets passed down through a family. I just call him that to be funny."

Hmmm...

Hmmm...

Okay.

So...I guess I technically wasn't actually entertaining royalty...

...but I was entertaining some lovely houseguests.

And perhaps if you are doing some entertaining, you might enjoy trying this recipe.

It is really different and delicious.

Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole
serves 6-8

4 cups (loosely packed) day-old challah bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 pound ham, cubed
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup grated gruyere cheese (about 4 ounces)
1 cup grated swiss cheese (about 4 ounces)

Grease an 9-inch square baking dish and throw in the cubed challah.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a skillet over medium to low heat. Add the onions, salt, and sugar. Sauté until they are lightly caramelized (a medium golden brown color), about 15 minutes.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, dry mustard, nutmeg, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle the ham and onions over the bread cubes. Toss together lightly. Sprinkle grated cheeses on next, and then pour the egg mixture over the entire thing.

Press down on the top gently, so that all of the bread cubes get soaked a bit with the egg mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (take the casserole out of the fridge while the oven is preheating). Bake, uncovered, for 35 - 40 minutes, or until the edges are bubbling and the top begins to brown.

...

...

You're welcome.

And think how boring this would have been if I would have just said, "Here's a good recipe in case you want to try it!"

Oh, go ahead.

I'll do it with you.

...

...

Sigh...