from the former inn's recipe archive:

Featherbed Eggs, 

Southwestern Style
 
8 servings, depending on accompaniments

Many inns serve some variation of the breakfast "strata" --- a delicious and satisfying sort of savory bread-and-cheese pudding, which  pleases the eater while incorporating most of meal's main components and being imminently prepare-in-advance-able. 

Here is the Dairy Hollow House version; which was much-loved, often requested. The Featherbeds (the name, but not the recipe, coined by writer Marion Cunningham in The Breakfast Book, Knopf, 1987, a wonderful cookbook) rise a good 1/2 to 1 inch above their ramekins when they first emerge from the oven, but rapidly fall. No matter; these are mighty pleasing. Our variation, zapped with the mild heat of green chiles, stuffed with a dab of cream cheese or neufchatel, and served with a hotter pico-de-gallo-style "Arkansalsa", are even more winsome than the usual. 

The eggs in a basket, above,  are an illustration by Jacqueline Froelich, and appear in The Dairy Hollow House Cookbook. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup green chile, either canned or fresh prepared poblano (charred, peeled, deseeded, and diced)

Pam, or vegetable oil cooking spray 

4 cups large, coarse bread crumbs, from fresh bread, left out to dry overnight (crumbs of leftover Skillet-Sizzled Buttermilk Cornbread preferred, but good crusty whole wheat bread crumbs may also be used)

1 cup (4 ounces) grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese

8 large eggs, beaten lightly

2 cups milk

Dash of hot sauce, such as Tabasco or Frank's Louisiana

Salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste

2 ounces Neufchatel or cream cheese, divided into 8 pieces

"Arkansalsa", optional, for serving 

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray with Pam 8 to 10 1-cup ramekins, or 1 14X11-inch shallow baking dish. Scatter dish or dishes with crumbs, and sprinkle crumbs with cheddar.

 

2. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Whisk to blend. Whisk in diced chiles. Ladle and pour this mixture over the cheesed bread crumbs in ramekins or pans. Push 1 piece of the Neufchatel into each ramekin, or at intervals throughout the single pan.

 

3. Bake until the eggs are set and slightly puffed, about 30 minutes for large pan, 20 for ramekins. Do not overbake. Serve with Arkansalsa on the side.