Savory Bread Pudding

Tags

• Bread Pudding
• Thanksgiving
• Savory Bread

Ingredients

• 8 ounces (225 grams) thick-cut bacon (about 5 slices), cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, stems thinly sliced and leaves separated, roughly chopped
• 6 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups (360 milliliters) heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 10 cups (400 grams) 1-inch cubes bread, such as French, sourdough, wheat or rye
• 2 cups (8 ounces/225 grams) grated Gruyere cheese
• 1/2 cup (50 grams) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• Unsalted butter, for greasing the pan

Directions

• 1.

  In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp, about 7 minutes. Remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon and let drain on paper towels. Pour off most of the bacon fat and reserve, leaving just a skim of grease on the pan.

• 2.

  In the same pan, saute the onion and chard stems over medium-high heat until tender and the onion is slightly covered, about 5 minutes. Fold the chard eaves in, cooking just until they wilt, 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.

• 3.

  In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, chicken stock, cayenne, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Fold in the bread and stir until the cubes are thoroughly moistened. Let stand at least 1 hour, or cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.

• 4.

  Preheat the oven to 350 degree F and grease a large rectangular baking dish with unsalted butter.

• 5.

  Fold the chard, bacon, and both cheeses into the soaked bread. Transfer the bread pudding in the greased baking dish, cover loosely with foil, and bake for 20 minutes.

• 6.

  Uncover and bake for another 20 minutes, until the top is slightly crusty and browned and the bread pudding is slightly springy to the touch, not wet. Serve warm or at room temperature.