Tomato and Fontina Strata Ingredients 3 cups milk 1 day-old French bread loaf Chunky Tomato Sauce (see below) 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried, crumbled 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary 1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced 8 oz of Reny Picot Fontina, thinly sliced 6 eggs, beaten 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces Chunky Tomato Sauce: 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 3 lbs tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped 1 bay leaf Pinch of dried thyme 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley Instructions Prepare sauce: Melt butter with oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and herbs. Cook until sauce is reduced to chunky puree, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Add parsley. Preheat oven to 375¡ F. Butter a 13x9x2" glass dish. Pour milk into large bowl. Cut twenty-seven 3/8" thick slices from bread. Working in batches, dip bread slices into milk just to soften, draining off excess milk. Arrange 9 bread slices in a single layer in bottom of prepared dish. Spread 1 cup tomato sauce over. Arrange half of mozzarella and Fontina slices over. Repeat layering with 9 bread slices, 1 cup sauce, herbs and cheese. Top with remaining bread. Spread remaining sauce over. Pour eggs over casserole, piercing bread with tip of knife until eggs are absorbed. Sprinkle parmesan over and dot with butter. Let casserole stand 30 minutes. Bake strata until set and golden brown, about 45 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut into large squares and serve hot.