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Layered Breakfast Torte with a Warm Cherry-Cayenne Balsamic Sauce

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Ingredients

• Torte:

• 1 (10 oz) pkg frozen spinach, thawed
• 1 (12 oz) jar roasted red peppers
• 1 (1 lb) bulk maple breakfast sausage
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup whole ricotta cheese
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 (17.3 oz) pkg puff pastry, thawed
• 1/4-1/3 cup blue cheese, crumbled (according to taste)
• 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

• Cherry- Cayenne Balsamic Sauce:

• 1 (13 oz) jar Bonne Maman cherry preserves*
• 1 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spray a 9 inch springform pan with a non-stick cooking spray.
3. Place thawed spinach in a colander, press out excess liquid.
4. Place spinach on several sheets of paper towel; top with more paper towels. Squeeze out as much moisture as you can from the spinach. Repeat if necessary; set aside.
5. Drain roasted red peppers. Place on a cutting board and chop into small pieces. Place peppers on several sheets of paper towel; top with more paper towel. Gently dab out as much moisture from the peppers as possible. Repeat if needed; set aside.
6. In a large skillet, place sausage and chopped onion. Cook until browned. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
7. Drain off excess grease. Pat mixture with paper towel to soak up any remaining grease. Stir in red pepper flakes.
8. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs gently. Remove 1 tbsp of the beaten eggs to a small dish. To the remaining eggs, add ricotta, spinach, nutmeg, salt and black pepper. Mix until well combined.
9. Unfold pastry sheets. Roll one sheet into a 12 inch square. Place rolled out pastry sheet onto the bottom and sides of the prepared springform pan.
10. Start assembling your torte: Place half of the sausage mixture on the bottom of the pan.Next add half of the egg mixture. Sprinkle with half of the blue cheese and half of the mozzarella cheese. Top with all of the chopped roasted red peppers. Add remaining sausage mixture, then blue cheese, mozzarella cheese and the remaining egg mixture.
11. Roll the second puff pastry sheet into an 11 inch square. Place on top of the layered torte. Trim edges and then crimp the bottom and top edges of the puff pastry together. Brush the entire top of the pastry with the 1 tbsp of beaten egg. Cut slits on the top of the pastry crust.
12. Bake for approximately 55 minutes until the top is a lovely golden brown. Using a knife, stick it into the pastry to see if the filling is cooked. The knife should come out clean. If it is, remove from oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
13. Prepare the Cherry-Cayenne Balsamic Sauce: In a small saucepan, combine the jar of Bonne Maman cherry preserves, aged balsamic and cayenne pepper. Stir and cook until heated through.
14. Remove the sides of the springform pan. Slice the torte into wedges and serve with a generous spoonful of the warm cherry-cayenne balsamic sauce.

Notes