Spinach, Ham And Cheese Custard

main dish, ham

4 cups cooked frozen spinach; drained well,
and packed
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoon butter
Salt; to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper; to taste
1 pound thinly-sliced ham
1/4 pound provolone cheese
1/4 pound mozzerella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesean cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 3/4 cups heavy cream; divided
6 eggs

Butter an 8- to 9-inch round baking dish 4 to 5 inches high, and place a
buttered round of brown paper on the bottom of the dish. Squeeze moisture
out of the spinach; chop. In a saute pan, cook the chopped onions until
wilted in the oil and 2 tablespoons of butter. Add spinach, raise heat to
high, and stirring constantly, cook until moisture is evaporated. Season
and set aside. Cut the ham into 1-inch wide strips, cook until lightly
browned in the remaining butter; set aside. Grate provolone and mozzerella
and combine with the parmesean. Puree the ricotta with 1/2 cup of the
cream. Beat the eggs, then mix with remaining 1 1/4 cup cream; season to
taste. Place 1/3 of the grated cheeses into the bottom of the baking dish.
Drizzle some of the custard mixture on top. Place 1/3 of the ham slices
across the cheese, drizzling a little custard mixture in among them. Place
1/3 of the spinach on the ham; coat with custard. Repeat the layering
twice, pouring custard on each layer (the custard holds the layers
together). Top with waxed paper and foil. Place in a baking pan, pour
boiling water halfway up sides of the dish, and bake for 1 hour in a pre-
heated 350 degree oven. Turn up heat to 400 degrees and bake 30 minutes
longer. Uncover for last 10 minutes. Allow more time if you use a higher
dish. When the custard sides have come away from the edges of the dish, and
when the center tests dry, the custard is done. Place on a rack for 15 to
20 minutes before unmolding onto a serving platter. This recipe yields 12
servings; 6 carb grams per serving. Comments: If you omit the water bath,
the bottom becomes brown, but the flavor stays the same. Use a combination
of meats, such as ham, salami, pepperoni. Make a spectacular buffet dish by
doubling the ingredients and making 6 layers. For thicker layers, repeat
two rather than three times. Serve with a dollop of sour cream as garnish
with a sprinkle of fresh chopped herbs. Source: "Low Carb Diet Recipes at
http://www.dietlowcarb.com" S(Formatted for MC6): "06-27-2003 by Joe
Comiskey - Mad's Recipe Emporium" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Per
Serving (excluding unknown items): 250 Calories; 24g Fat (85.0% calories
from fat); 7g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 163mg
Cholesterol; 171mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Non-Fat
Milk; 4 Fat. Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Contributor: n/a

Yield: 12 servings

Preparation Time: 0:00
--
Last year's nuts must go.
- Michael Odom