Beet Bread Pudding

You want to use stale rye bread for this. If you haven't any, just toast or bake and let cool. Roasted beets make everything sweeter and nuttier. Unusual, yet tasty. It's both sweet and savory; good for those times when you want dessert for dinner. Prep time does not include roasting the beets or making the bread stale. Do both of those yesterday. Prep time does include the part where you let the bread soak. Whisk the eggs, grate the beets and have a drink while that's happening. Adapted from Sheila Lukins' Around the World Cookbook. She translated the recipe from a Cyrillic recipe card.

• Ready In: 1 hr 50 mins
• Serves: 12
• Yields: 12 squares

Ingredients

• 14  ounces  seeded sliced  rye bread
• 12  ounces  roasted beets
• 4  ounces vegetable broth
• 1  cup golden raisin
• 2  tablespoons butter (for greasing the pan)
• 4  large eggs
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh dill
• 1  orange, zest of
•  salt
•  fresh coarse ground black pepper
• 3⁄4 cup sour cream (optional)

Directions

1. Making sure rye bread is dry, tear into pieces, and put in a bowl with raisins and broth. Mix and let sit for 1 hour.
2. Grate beets coarse.
3. Whisk the eggs with sugar, dill, orange zest, salt and pepper to taste.
4. Fold 3/4 of the egg mix into the bread mix.
5. Layer a greased 13x9 inch pan with 1/2 the bread mix, then the beet mix, then the remaining bread mix. Finally pour the remaining egg mix evenly over the top.
6. Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes, until light golden and set.
7. Let rest for 10 minutes and cut into squares.
8. Serve with sour cream.