Pork Chops With Mushroom Bread Pudding

From Food and Wine's 'One-Dish Meals'

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons butter
• 1  onion, chopped
• 1  celery rib, chopped
• 3⁄4 lb mushroom, cut into thin slices
• 1  teaspoon dried thyme
• 1⁄2 lb baguette, cut into 1/2-in cubes (about 1 quart)
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 1⁄3 cups  canned low sodium chicken broth
• 3  eggs, beaten to mix
• 2⁄3 cup half-and-half
• 1  tablespoon  cooking oil
• 4  center-cut pork chops, about 1-in thick (about 2 lbs)

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 325°F Grease a 9x13-in baking dish. In a large nonstick drying pan, melt the butter over medium low heat. Add the onion and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Increase the heat to medium high. Add the mushroom and thyme and cook until mushrooms start to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the bread cubes, 3/4 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish.
2. Stir together the broth, eggs, and half-and-half. Pour mixture evenly over the mushrooms and bread. Put the dish in the lower third of the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in frying pan over medium heat. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper over pork chops. Add the chops to the pan and brown, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the chops from the pan. remove the bread pudding from the oven after it's finished baking and set the pork chops directly on top. Return to the oven and cook until the meat is done and the pudding is just set, 10 to 15 minutes longer.