Some food combinations will always be favorites – steak and potatoes, marshmallows and chocolate and blue cheese and pears all come to mind. But one combination that’s a perennial favorite is ham and pineapple.

Rather than garnishing my holiday ham with pineapple rings, I like to serve the pineapple on the side in my Pineapple-Cheddar Strata. The recipe combines two of my favorite pineapple side dishes. The first, a brown sugar pineapple strata that is sweet and bread pudding-like. The second is a pineapple-cheddar bake that combines chunks of pineapple, butter, flour and cheddar cheese for the perfect sweet and savory treat.

Here the two recipes intersect in a luscious, sweet strata that’s made slightly savory with the addition of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. The strata can be assembled and refrigerated overnight, making it perfect for holiday entertaining.
 

• 1 loaf soft French or Italian bread*, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 8 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Combine the bread, pineapple and cheese in a large bowl. Beat the eggs, sugar and butter together in another bowl. Fold egg mixture into the bread mixture and spread all in the prepared baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until puffed and golden.

Makes 12 servings.

*Pepperidge Farms ready-to-heat sliced French bread was used for testing purposes