Bread Pudding with Shiitake Mushrooms

Name: Bread Pudding with Shiitake Mushrooms
Yield: makes 8 servings
Ingredients: Butter or extra virgin olive oil for greasing the baking dish, plus 2 tablespoons; 1/2 pound good-quality white bread, cut or torn into chunks no smaller than 1 inch in diameter; 2 cups milk; 4 eggs; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated; 1/4 pound Emmenthal or other semisoft cheese, freshly grated; 1 cup sliced shiitake mushroom caps; 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried

December 20, 2011

This Bread Casserole is a major upgrade from stuffing. Like most puddings and custards, it should be removed from the oven when it still appears slightly underdone, because its retained heat will firm it up just fine. Use good-quality white bread—torn from a loaf, not presliced—and the pudding will be much better.

Recipe information

Yield
makes 8 servings

Ingredients

Butter or extra virgin olive oil for greasing the baking dish, plus 2 tablespoons

1/2 pound good-quality white bread, cut or torn into chunks no smaller than 1 inch in diameter

2 cups milk

4 eggs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated

1/4 pound Emmenthal or other semisoft cheese, freshly grated

1 cup sliced shiitake mushroom caps

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried

Preparation

Step 1
Butter or oil an 8-inch soufflé or baking dish and put the bread in it. Combine the milk, eggs, salt, pepper, and cheeses and pour this mixture over the bread. Submerge the bread with a weighted plate and turn the oven to 350°F. Meanwhile, heat the butter or oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper and thyme and stir them into the bread mixture.
Step 2
Bake until the pudding is just set but not dry, 35 to 45 minutes. The top will be crusty and brown. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

From Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times by Mark Bittman Copyright (c) 2007 by Mark Bittman Published by Broadway Books. Mark Bittman is the author of the blockbuster Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.

TagsCasserole Parmesan Cheese Dairy Swiss Cheese Shiitake Mushroom Mushroom Vegetable Main Side Lunch Dinner Vegetarian Nut Free Oven Bake Cookbooks

Recipe information

Ingredients

Preparation

Step 1

Step 2

Recipe notes