Wild mushroom bread pudding
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Wild mushroom bread pudding
Serves 6-8 as a moderate side, 4-5 as a main dish
- Around 4 cups rustic-style bread (I’ve been loving Batch Bakehouse‘s Scali lately), preferably day-old, crust removed and innards cut into 1/2-1″ cubes
- 3 Tbsp. butter and/or olive oil
- 1 1/2 lbs. fresh, assorted mushrooms, cut into slices and/or bite-size pieces
- 2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- At least a few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed and roughly chopped (or 1 tsp. dried thyme)
- 1 cup milk and 1 cup cream OR 2 cups half-and-half
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese (Swiss, Emmentaler, and other firm melting cheeses work as well)
- Salt
– Heat oven to 375F.
– Toast bread (optional) If you’d like a crispy crust on your bread pudding, spread your bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown and toasted. You can do this while the oven is heating, just don’t forget it’s in there!
– Saute mushrooms Heat the butter and/or oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When melted and beginning to shimmer and/or foam, add the mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and thyme. Stir and continue to cook until the mushrooms are tender – they’ll release quite a bit of liquid, then soak it back up again.
– Assemble and bake Whisk together dairy, eggs, and a large pinch of salt in a large bowl. Add the cheese, the cooked mushroom mixture, and the toasted bread cubes. Spread in a 2-quart baking dish (an 8” square baking dish should work well). Bake 35-45 minutes, until the liquid feels set.
Making ahead/storage: Mushroom mixture can be cooked up to 5 days ahead of time. Baked bread pudding will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week and can be reheated in a low oven (or individual servings can be reheated in a non-stick or lightly oiled pan).
