Savory Bread Pudding with Mushrooms (Thanksgiving Favs)
I love Thanksgiving. Unlike other holidays that seem focused on family, Thanksgiving is a free-for-all. We invite everyone we can think of, especially those that can’t make it home, to join the feast. Each person brings their own family favorite to share. We have a table filled with a cacophony of dishes, Uncle Gary’s Sweet Potatoes, Sticky Rice Stuffing, Chinese Roast Duck, Lox and crackers, Stir-fried Bok Choy, Baklava…anything goes. It all tastes wonderful, enhanced by the lively, happy chatter of friends and family we don’t see often enough.
Reelin in the Years
The stalwarts of our Thanksgiving table include Uncle Gary’s Sweet Potatoes. Non-negotiable to the point that Uncle Gary and Sweet Potatoes are synonymous. Sweet potatoes, copious amounts of butter, brown sugar, topped with mini-marshmallows, what’s not to love? Over the years Uncle Gary (yes, a real person, my cousin) has tweaked his recipe, adding pineapple, boooze, marshmallow cream, only to be met with a chorus of “it’s good BUT not as good as your regular sweet potatoes. Why mess with perfection?
The other must-have is the Chinese American contribution to Thanksgiving, Gnaw Mai Fan, or Sweet Rice Stuffing. A mixture of glutinous rice (sweet rice), bits of Chinese sausage (lop Cheung), mushrooms, green onions, dried shrimp (umami bomb), bbq pork, and roasted chestnuts is now in vogue, the gluten-free option to classic bread stuffing.
Confession Time
Ok, I have a confession. I am the maker of the Gnaw Mai Fan or Sweet Rice Stuffing that graces our feast every year, but I LOVE traditional bread stuffing. Yep, I’m a stuffing girl. After making the VAT of Sweet Rice Stuffing for everyone else, I use to pull out the teeny box of Stove Top stuffing in the pantry to whip up for me.
Fortunately, those days are over. A savory bread pudding with mushrooms from Epicurious satisfies my stuffing craving. Filled with onions, peppers, ‘shrooms, croutons and bound by eggs and cream, it is deliciously decadent. Make sure to toast the bread, it makes a difference. Use a French batard that has a nice crust and a fairly tight, soft crumb. For an extra rich, creamy version, use Challah or Brioche. Substitute leeks for some or all of the onions for another yummy tweak.
Pros– lots of veggies, bell peppers, celery, mushrooms, onions, moist, scrumptious, adaptable,
Cons-lots of eggs, heavy cream and butter, and cheese, but hey, it’s a holiday!
I do tweak the recipe just a touch. Use half and half in place of at least half of the heavy cream. You could probably reduce this further by using chicken stock for part of the half and half too. I also substitute olive oil for half of the butter used to saute the veggies. The recipe is below.
It’s All About the Pies
I know how Gary feels, typecast for Thanksgiving, not being given the option to bring something different for the feast. It is ASSUMED we will bring pies. Lucky I love to bake, as does Jamie. The pie parade includes traditional Pumpkin Pie and Pecan Pie, Tartine’s Lemon Cream Tart and a gorgeous Cranberry Curd Tart. Choice and color to the dessert table.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Savory Bread Pudding with Mushrooms and Parmesan Cheese
Ingredients
The Dry
- 1 1-pound loaf crusty country-style white bread (A Frence Batard preferred over Ciabatta which has bigger holes)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1 large garlic clove minced
The Stuff
- 6 tablespoons 3/4 stick butter Can use half butter, half olive oil
- 1 pound assorted fresh mushrooms such as crimini, button, portobello, and stemmed shiitake, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion can replace half to all of onions with leeks
- 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced celery
- 1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper use any color bell pepper
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley (Italian flat leaf parsley)
The Wet
- 3 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream substitute half and half for 50% of cream,
- 8 large eggs yes, 8
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
The Bread
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Cut bottom crust and short ends off bread and discard. Cut remaining bread with crust into 1-inch cubes (about 10 cups loosely packed).
- Place cubes in very large bowl. Add oil, thyme, and garlic; toss to coat. Spread cubes out on large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until golden and slightly crunchy, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Return toasted bread cubes to same very large bowl.
The Veggies
- Melt butter/olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, celery, and bell pepper. Sauté until soft and juices have evaporated, about 15 minutes. Add sautéed vegetables and parsley to bread cubes.
The Binder
- Whisk heavy cream, eggs, salt, and ground pepper in large bowl. Mix custard into bread and vegetables. Transfer to prepared dish. Let sit for min. of 30 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over. DO AHEAD Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
- Bake stuffing uncovered until set and top is golden, about 1 hour. Let stand 15 minutes.
Notes