Savory Bread Pudding

Submitted by kimkej

"From Fine Cooking. Different cheeses and veggies can be substituted for a different flavor."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 20mins
• Ingredients: 16
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 lb leek, cleaned and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices (white and light green parts only)
• 5 eggs
• 2 1⁄2 cups milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 1 inch pieces
• 1 lb dry bread, cut into 1 inch cubes (if fresh, toast lightly)
• 1⁄4 lb Fontina cheese, shredded
• 1⁄4 lb gruyere or 1/4 lb cantal cheese, shredded
• 1⁄2 cup mixed chopped fresh herb (chives, parsley, tarragon, chervil)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon grated lemon, zest of
• 1 pinch cayenne
• 1 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground black pepper

directions

1. Heat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt the butter with the water and a pinch of salt.
3. Add the leeks and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
4. Set aside to cool.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk.
6. Add the remaining ingredients, including the leeks, and gently toss them.
7. The mixture should be well coated and somewhat soupy.
8. Spread the mixture into a 4-quart soufflé dish, a 13x9-inch baking dish, or another ovenproof dish that's at least 2 inches deep and big enough to hold the mixture.
9. Put the dish on a baking sheet and bake until the top is crusty brown and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean, 45 to 60 minutes.
10. If the pudding looks too dark before it's finished, cover with foil.
11. Let cool slightly before serving.

Reviews

[SarasotaCook]

Well this is a 1/2 of rating ... I made my savory bread pudding for breakfast this am along with some scrambled eggs, came back in was was going to post it and looked to make sure there wasn't a dupe recipe and found yours. Now other than I used spinach, since that is what I had, had swiss vs gruyere, but I did have fontina, and admit, I added a bit more cheese, the recipe is identical so I am not going to post mine. But in honor of your recipe. I totally admit, it is wonderful, and actually is a shame more people don't make savory bread puddings. And as the reviewer said, what a great recipe. And this morning once again, mine was great, but, it is the same as yours so I wanted to rate yours too to let people know what a great dish. And you are right ... any veggies will work according to what you have on hand. I used a baguette that was a day old from turkey day, but any bread works. Thx for posting.

 

[The_Swedish_Chef]

Well, the 6 year wait for someone to review your fantastic recipe is over!!!! I chose yours for several reasons: Fontina, Gruyere and Half & Half! I happened to have all of them left over from my Gourmet Mac & Cheese recipe and knew how amazing they were in that dish. I was bound and determined to NOT buy another ingredient so I decided I'd make this recipe a wee bit more savory then the original. I used 3 yellow onions and carmelized them; added 1/2 pound of Bavarian Ham that was left from this weekend; some roasted Red Pepper strips and a can of Mushrooms. The end result was worthy of a 5 star restaurant!!!! I looked at ALL the savory bread pudding recipes and this one was just the most appealing and it turned out to be a real keeper! Sorry you had to wait so long for someone to make this and review it but I'm grateful that you took the time to post it, so long ago!