Sarahs Savoury Bread And Cheese Pudding Recipes

BREAD PUDDING WITH SHERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring 1/2 cup Sherry to boil in a heavy small saucepan. Add currants. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand 15 minutes to plump.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter an 8 inch square glass baking dish. Whisk milk, sugar, eggs, yolks, vanilla and cinnamon in large bowl. Arrange half of bread on bottom of prepared dish. Spoon Sherry and currants over. Arrange remaining bread over. Pour egg mixture over all. Let stand 15 minutes, pressing bread into egg mixture occasionally. Bake pudding until puffed and golden, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Transfer to rack.
• Bring half and half to a simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Whisk yolks, sugar and cornstarch in medium bowl. Gradually whisk in hot half and half. Return mixture to same saucepan. Stir over medium heat until mixture thickens and leaves path on back of spoon, about 3 minutes. Strain into bowl. Stir in Sherry. Serve pudding warm with warm sauce.

SAVORY BREAD PUDDING WITH SAUSAGE, SPINACH, POACHED EGGS, AND PARMESAN-THYME CREAM

Steps:

• For the Parmesan-thyme cream: In a heavy-bottomed saucepot over medium-low heat, add the cream, bay leaf and garlic. Simmer until reduced by two-thirds, about 20 minutes, being careful not boil the liquid or scorch the bottom of the pot. With a slotted spoon, remove the garlic and bay leaf. Whisk in the Parmesan. When the Parmesan has melted the sauce is smooth, add the thyme, salt and pepper. Cook for another 2 minutes. Serve warm. (Make 1 quart.)
• For the savory bread pudding: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until beginning to soften, 4 minutes. Add the celery, garlic and thyme; cook for another 3 minutes. Set aside and let cool.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs, and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. In another mixing bowl place the cubed bread. Pour the milk-egg mixture over the bread and mix. Let sit for 10 minutes, until the bread has soaked up liquid. Fold in onion mixture.
• Grease an 8-by-10-inch baking dish with the butter. Add the bread mixture and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook until the top is toasted and golden brown, another 10 to 15 minutes.
• To serve, cut into 4-by-4-inch portions and place on a plate. Add a sausage patty, 1/4 cup of the spinach and two poached eggs. Pour one-quarter of the Parmesan-thyme cream over the top.

SAVORY BREAD PUDDING WITH BROCCOLI AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Rub the bread slices, front and back, with the cut clove of garlic. Cut into cubes. Place in a bowl and toss with 1 cup of the milk and let sit while you prepare the other ingredients. Note: If the bread is too hard to cut safely, place the whole chunk in a bowl with 1 cup of the milk. Refrigerate for 1 hour or longer, turning the bread in the milk every once in a while. Remove the bowl with the soaked bread from the refrigerator. Break up the bread with your hands. Using a wooden spoon, a whisk or an immersion blender, mash or beat the soaked bread so that the mixture turns into a mush.
• In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and goat cheese. Beat in the milk. Add salt to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon), a few twists of pepper and the bread, along with any milk remaining in the bowl in which you soaked the bread. Stir well to combine. Let sit for 15 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Rub the sides of a 2-quart baking dish or gratin with the cut side of a garlic clove. Oil or butter the dish. Mince any remaining garlic from the halves you used to rub the bread and the dish. Break up the broccoli crowns into florets and steam for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain and cut the florets into 1/2-inch slices, or chop coarsely.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet and add the minced garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds, and stir in 1 teaspoon of the thyme, the broccoli, and salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Stir together for a minute, until the broccoli is nicely seasoned, and remove from the heat. Stir into the bread mixture.
• Scrape the bread mixture into the baking dish. If including tomatoes, scrape in half the bread mixture and layer half the tomatoes on top. Spread the remaining bread mixture over the tomatoes and top with the remaining tomatoes. Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper, sprinkle with the remaining thyme and drizzle on the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Place in the oven and bake 50 minutes, until puffed, set and lightly browned. Remove from the oven and serve hot or warm.