Bread & Salt: Savory Mushroom Bread Pudding

The mushroom, of course!

Alice in Wonderland

I am a huge fan of bread pudding.  One of my favorite things to make and eat is leek bread pudding, which is full of cheese and cream and other delicious diet-killers.  So, I decided to try a lower calorie bread pudding for Stoney and I.  Rather than cream, I used 2% milk.  Rather than a pound of Gruyere, I used 5oz. of goat cheese.  And I loaded the whole thing up with mushrooms and other veggies (including leeks, because as I said, leek bread pudding!  nom!).  The result was a fantastically delicious bread pudding that actually fit in with a lower-calorie lifestyle.  Plus, it had the added bonus of feeling like we were cheating by eating it!

What you need:

• 1 1/2 cup 2% milk
• ~ 1/3 lb Cremini Mushrooms, chopped
• ~ 1/3 lb White Button Mushrooms, chopped
• ~ 1/5 lb Shiitake Mushrooms, chopped
• 1 jar roasted red peppers, drained and sliced
• 5 oz. goat cheese crumbles
• 1 loaf of Sourdough bread
• 4 eggs
• 1 Leek, white and light green part finely chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tsp Herbes de Provence
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp garlic

The prep-time for this is pretty short.  I got the whole thing prepped during my lunch hour.  Start by heating your oil in a large skillet over medium heat.   Toss in your leek, chopped mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste, and saute until the mushrooms have begun to soften and brown and the leeks are soft and becoming transparent.  This whole process doesn't take very long.  Maybe 10 minutes.  Next, add in your roasted red peppers and parsley, cooking for a few minutes more, just enough to get everything stirred together and looking fantastic.

Next, cut your bread into chunks around 1" each.

They don't need to be perfect, as you can see

Sprinkle a little goat cheese in the bottom of an 8 x 11 baking dish, add a layer of bread, and then add a layer of mushroom mix.  Repeat.  Sprinkle the last of your goat cheese on the top.

At this point, you can stick the baking dish in the refrigerator overnight or for the day.  This lets the bread really soak up some of the great flavors in the mushroom mixture.

When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350.  Whisk together the milk, eggs, garlic, and Herbes de Provence, then pour the mixture evenly over the bread.  Put the baking dish back in the oven for 15 minutes or so, and then bake for 45 minutes.

Let everything sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.