The Story of "The Piedmont Street Thirty-Year Brunch"
In 1964, Betty ([McIntyre] Artiga) and Martin Snipper married and bought a house at the corner of Ashbury (920) and Piedmont Streets in San Francisco. Martin and Betty loved to entertain and after thirty wonderful years, they decided to celebrate this event by inviting all their neighbors and hosting a brunch. It was aptly called, “The Piedmont Street Thirty-Year Brunch.” Betty was an excellent cook and I’m sure that she scoured her recipe books to find the perfect meal to serve. This casserole was well chosen because all the cooking is done the day before so there is not a mess when guests come and all you have to do is pop it in the oven. Joanie Zandona, Betty's daughter, served this delicious casserole at the McIntyre Family Reunion, hosted at her home, on January 26, 2014. It was truly mouth-watering. Thank you Joanie for sharing the family recipe.
Betty’s Brunch Casserole
aka
“The Piedmont Street Thirty-Year Brunch”
(Must be prepared 24 hours in advance)
Ingredients
½ cup butter
2-3 Tbs. softened butter
12 slices white bread; crust removed (soft Italian sliced bread is nicer than Wonderbread)
1 ½ cups chopped scallions or 2 cups thinly sliced yellow onions
½ lb. fresh mushrooms; trimmed and sliced
1 ½ lb. mild Italian sausage
¾ - 1 lb. Cheddar cheese; grated
5 eggs
2 ½ cups whole milk
3 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 Tbs. fresh parsley; finely chopped
Directions
Butter the bread with soft butter on both sides and set aside. In 10-12” skillet, melt ½ cup butter and brown mushrooms and onions over medium heat; 5-8 minutes or until tender. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook sausage separately and cut into bite size pieces. Drain on paper towel. In greased 11x7” shallow casserole dish, layer half the bread, mushroom/onion mixture, sausage, and cheese. Repeat. (Note: it may require 2 or more slices of bread depending on the size/shape of the pan and bread.)
In medium size bowl, mix eggs, milk, mustards, nutmeg, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Use wisk to mix. Pour over bread and sausage. Cover and refrigerate overnight. When ready to bake, sprinkle chopped parsley evenly over the top and bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for one hour. Serve with fruit salad and crusty bread.
Serves 8