Asparagus Bread Pudding Food

WARM ASPARAGUS SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and fill a large bowl with ice water.
• Add the asparagus to the boiling water and cook until just tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and transfer to the ice water. Once cooled, drain and pat dry and add to a medium bowl.
• Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat, add the walnuts and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until just golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour mixture over the asparagus and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• To serve, transfer asparagus to a platter and scatter Parmesan on top. Drizzle with lemon juice and serve immediately.

BEST BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish with the butter.
• Toast the bread cubes on a baking sheet until they start to dry and harden, about 20 minutes. Set aside. Raise the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
• Whisk together the cream, milk, sugar, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, whole eggs and yolks in a large bowl. Add the bread to the bowl and stir until completely coated. Cover and let soak for about 30 minutes, pushing the bread down occasionally so that all the cubes are soaked. Meanwhile, pour hot water over the raisins, if using, and soak for 10 minutes. Once plumped, drain the raisins, add to the bowl of bread and gently toss.
• Pour the bread mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake until the custard is set and the top is golden brown, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving. Serve warm, at room temperature or cold.

SAVORY ASPARAGUS BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan or casserole with nonstick cooking spray.
• Using a serrated knife, cut the bread into 3/4-inch cubes and put all of the cubes in a large bowl.
• In medium bowl, whish together the milk, broth, eggs, salt, pepper, and dill until combined. Pour the mixture over the bread.
• Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus and cut the spears into 1-inch pieces. Add them to the bread along with the mushrooms and shallots.
• Fold everything together well to combine the ingredients. Spoon them into the prepared pan and pat down the top to compact the ingredients. Sprinkle the cheese evenly ever the top.
• Bake the pudding for 45 minutes, or until the top is browned and crisp and there is no liquid in the center. Let sit for 10 minutes before cutting into portions.

SAVORY ASPARAGUS BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F & spray a 9x13-in baking dish or casserole w/non-stick cooking spray.
• Cut bread into 3/4-in slices by stacking 4-5 slices & then cutting them into 3/4-in cubes. Repeat w/remaining bread & put cubes in a lrg bowl.
• In med bowl, whisk together the milk, broth, eggs, salt, pepper + dill till combined & pour over bread cubes.
• Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus & cut the spears into 1-in pieces. Add them to the bread along w/the mushrooms, shallots & olives (if using).
• Fold everything together well to combine the ingredients, spoon into the prepared pan, pat down the top to compact the ingredients & sprinkle the cheese evenly ever the top.
• Bake for 45 min or till the top is browned & crisp & there is no liquid in the center. Allow to sit for 10 min b4 cutting into portions.
• Ann's STRESS SAVER TIP: Look for frozen asparagus tips & bags of unseasoned bread cubes to save prep time.
• Ann's EYE APPEAL TIP: Instead of mushrooms (or as a simple addition), add 1 cup sliced pitted black olives for color contrast & a flavor complement to the asparagus (I included this in the recipe as an opt add).

NOT YOUR GRANDMA'S BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• For the bread pudding: In a large bowl, whisk together the cream and eggs. Add the brown sugar, raisins, butter, cinnamon, ginger and 1 cup granulated sugar. Mix well. Gently stir the bread cubes into the egg mixture. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• Pour the bread mixture into the prepared baking dish. If desired, sprinkle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Bake until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.
• Meanwhile, for the bourbon sauce: Combine the confectioners' sugar, bourbon, butter, milk and cinnamon in a medium saucepan, bring to a simmer over low heat, whisking constantly until thickened and no longer watery, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve with the bread pudding warm, at room temperature or chilled.

LEEK AND ARTICHOKE BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the bread cubes on a sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes, tossing once, until lightly browned. Place the pancetta in one layer on another sheet pan and bake in the same oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Place the pancetta on a plate lined with paper towels and set aside.
• Soak the leeks in water until they're clean, and spin them dry in a salad spinner. Heat the butter in an 11-inch pot over medium heat; add the leeks and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the wine, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and cook for 5 minutes, until the wine almost evaporates and the leeks are tender. Off the heat, mix in the artichokes, toasted bread cubes, chives and tarragon.
• Whisk the eggs, cream, chicken stock, nutmeg and 1 teaspoon salt together in a large bowl. Spoon half of the bread mixture into a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with half the Emmentaler and add the remaining bread mixture. Pour on the cream mixture, sprinkle with the remaining Emmentaler and press lightly to help the bread absorb the liquid. Dice or crumble the pancetta, scatter on top and sprinkle with pepper. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the bread to absorb the cream mixture. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the custard is set and the bread pudding is puffed and golden. Serve hot.
• Find these recipes and more in Ina's new book, Make It Ahead: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook ($35, Clarkson Potter).

SAVORY BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a bowl, toss the bread cubes with melted butter and chopped savory. Transfer to a baking sheet and toast until crispy and golden, about 30 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees.
• In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Break up sausage into silver-dollar-sized pieces and add to skillet; cook thoroughly about 10 minutes. Transfer sausage to a large bowl and let cool.
• Add remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil to skillet. Add leeks and mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until all the liquid has been absorbed, about 10 minutes. Stir in apple and transfer mixture to bowl with sausage; let cool.
• Brush a 9-inch square baking dish with olive oil. Add bread cubes to bowl with sausage and leek mixture; toss to combine and transfer to baking dish.
• In a large bowl, whisk together cream, eggs, vinegar, 3/4 cup cheese, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and the persillade; pour over bread mixture. Cover baking dish tightly with parchment paper-lined aluminum foil and transfer to oven. Bake until a paring knife inserted into the center of the pudding comes out clean, about 1 hour.
• Uncover and sprinkle pudding with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Preheat the broiler; broil pudding until golden, about 3 minutes. Cut into squares and serve garnished with truffles if desired.

SIMPLE BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan over low heat, warm milk, butter, vanilla, sugar and salt. Continue cooking just until butter melts; cool. Meanwhile, butter a 4-to-6-cup baking dish and fill it with cubed bread.
• Add eggs to cooled milk mixture and whisk; pour mixture over bread. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until custard is set but still a little wobbly and edges of bread have browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.

ASPARAGUS AND MOREL BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8-by-12-inch baking or gratin dish.
• Combine the garlic and milk in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then remove from the heat and set aside to steep (5 to 8 minutes).
• If the bread is not stale, lay it on a large baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes until crisp (but not hard, or the pudding will be mushy). Put bread in a large dish. Pour the milk through a strainer over the bread (discarding the garlic) and let it sit while you prepare the vegetables, turning the bread occasionally so that it soaks up as much of the liquid as possible.
• Fill a large skillet 2/3 of the way with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Lightly salt the water and add the asparagus pieces; cook about 3 minutes or until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
• Melt half the butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook for 1 minute, stirring, then add the mushrooms. Increase the heat to high and cook for several minutes, stirring, until the mushrooms brown in places and exude their liquid. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Break the eggs into a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the parsley, tarragon or marjoram, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Add the soaked bread and any liquid left in the dish, the asparagus-mushroom mixture and its juices and 2/3 of the cheese, mixing well. Pour into the prepared baking or gratin dish and use a spatula to even it out. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and dot with the remaining butter.
• Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until puffed and golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

CHEESY ASPARAGUS BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Butter a 12 x 8-inch oval baking dish (or a 12-cup baking dish).
• Steam the asparagus for about 2-3 minutes or until slightly tender; drain and place in ice water or very cold water; drain well and dry with paper towels.
• In a bowl whisk together half and half, eggs, seasoning salt and pepper until well blended; add in the chopped green onions.
• Place 4 slices of bread in the bottom of the baking dish overlapping if necessary.
• Top with 1/3 EACH asparagus then the Swiss cheese; repeat the layers two more times (4 slices bread, asparagus then cheese.
• Pour egg mixture over the top over the top.
• Cover and refrigerate for minimum 6 hours or overnight.
• When ready to bake set the oven to 350°F (second-lowest rack).
• Sprinkle the top of the casserole with Parmesan cheese.
• Bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until the center is set and golden.

ASPARAGUS WITH BREADCRUMBS AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a food processor, process bread until coarse crumbs form. Transfer breadcrumbs to a small bowl. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil. Add Parmesan, season with salt and pepper, and stir with a fork to combine.
• Arrange asparagus in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper. Top with breadcrumb mixture and bake until breadcrumbs are golden brown and asparagus is tender, 20 minutes. Squeeze lemon juice over asparagus just before serving.

BIG BREAKFAST WITH ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Arrange the bacon and black pudding in a shallow roasting tin that's large enough for all the ingredients to fit snugly. Roast for 10 mins until the bacon is starting to crisp up, then turn over the bacon and black pudding and cook for another 5 mins.
• Toss the asparagus in the oil and season, then add to the tin in bunches. Roast for another 5 mins, then remove from the oven and turn the asparagus, leaving 2 holes for the eggs. Crack an egg into each gap and put back in the oven for 4-5 mins until the whites are just set but the yolks are still runny. Serve immediately, straight from the tin, with toast and your choice of sauce.

ASPARAGUS BRUNCH STACK

Steps:

• Bring a pan of water to the boil and poach the eggs. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and keep warm.
• Tip the asparagus spears into the water and cook for 3 mins. Meanwhile, grill or pan-fry the black pudding until crispy on the outside. Make stacks of black pudding, a handful of watercress and the asparagus, and top each with an egg.

ASPARAGUS BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Cut asparagus into 1-inch pieces on the diagonal.
• Steam asparagus for 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly tender.
• Chill under cold running water; drain well.
• Whisk together milk, eggs, salt and pepper until well blended.
• Butter a 12 ½ x 8 x 4-inch oval casserole dish (or 12-cup baking dish).
• Layer 4 slices of bread in dish, overlapping as necessary.
• Top with one-third each of asparagus, Provolone and herbs. Repeat layering.
• Pour egg mixture over top.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or for up to 1 day to let egg mixture soak into bread.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Sprinkle pudding with Parmesan cheese.
• Bake on middle rack for about 60 minutes or until centre is set and top is golden.

CAMEMBERT-ASPARAGUS BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 2 1/2-quart casserole dish, and set dish aside. Snap off and discard tough ends of asparagus. Using a vegetable peeler, carefully peel outer layer from bottom 2 inches of asparagus spears.
• Fill a large straight-sided saute pan with salted water, and bring to a boil; prepare an ice bath. Add asparagus, and cook until bright green, about 1 minute. Transfer asparagus to ice bath, and let cool. Drain, transfer to a clean kitchen towel, and pat dry. Set asparagus aside.
• Melt 1/2 tablespoon butter with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, and cook, stirring once or twice, until mushrooms turn golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to a plate; set aside.
• Melt remaining tablespoon butter with remaining tablespoon oil, and add onion. Cook until onion is soft and translucent, about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from heat, and set aside.
• Randomly arrange half of the bread pieces on bottom of prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle half of the rosemary over the top. Place half of the asparagus, onions, mushrooms, and cheese on top. Make a second layer with remaining bread, rosemary, asparagus, onions, mushrooms, and cheese.
• To make custard, combine milk and cream in a medium saucepan, and set over medium-high heat; cook until mixture is hot. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, hot-milk mixture, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until combined.
• Pour custard over pudding. Press down on pudding, completely soaking top layer of bread, and place a plate on top. Weigh down the plate with a can or other object. Let pudding stand 20 minutes.
• Bake pudding until custard has set and top is golden, about 45 minutes. Remove dish from oven, and transfer to a wire rack to cool, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve.

SPANISH ASPARAGUS REVUELTO

Steps:

• Put 3 tablespoons olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add peeled garlic cloves and let them sizzle until lightly browned, then remove. Add bread cubes, season with salt and pepper, lower heat to medium and gently fry until lightly browned and crisp, about 2 minutes. Remove bread and set aside to cool.
• Add chorizo and fry lightly. Add asparagus, season with salt and pepper, and stir-fry until cooked through but firm, 3 to 4 minutes. Add green onions and minced garlic and cook 1 minute more.
• Season eggs with salt, pepper and pimentón. Pour into pan and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, just until soft and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add parsley and serve immediately, topped with the fried bread cubes.

ASPARAGUS AND PARMESAN PUDDINGS

Steps:

• Butter eight 3/4-cup custard cups or soufflé dishes. Coat with breadcrumbs. Cut off asparagus tips. Cook tips in large saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain; reserve tips and 1 cup cooking liquid. Coarsely chop asparagus stalks.
• Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until tender, about 6 minutes. Add stalks; sauté until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add reserved asparagus cooking liquid. Cover; simmer until stalks are tender, about 12 minutes.
• Uncover; cook until liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Transfer to food processor; puree. Add Parmesan, ricotta and flour. Using on/off turns, process just until blended. Season with salt and pepper.
• Whisk eggs in bowl to blend. Add asparagus puree; whisk to blend. Stir in all but 16 asparagus tips. Divide custard among cups. Place cups in roasting pan. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover; chill puddings and remaining asparagus tips.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour hot water into pan to come 1 inch up sides of cups. Bake puddings until set, about 35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Invert onto plates. Garnish with asparagus tips.

SAVORY BREAD PUDDING WITH MUSHROOMS AND PARMESAN CHEESE

Steps:

• 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.
• Melt butter 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.
• Whisk heavy cream, eggs, salt, and ground pepper in large bowl. Mix custard into bread and vegetables. Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Sprinkle cheese over. DO AHEAD Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake stuffing uncovered until set and top is golden, about 1 hour. Let stand 15 minutes.

ASPARAGUS, SUNDRIED TOMATO & OLIVE LOAF

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Oil and line the base of a loaf tin (approx 22 x 10 x 5cm) with baking paper. Cook the asparagus in boiling, salted water for 2 mins, drain, then cool quickly under cold running water. Pat dry.
• Mix the flour and thyme with seasoning in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre, then add the eggs, milk and oil, stirring all the time to draw the flour into the centre. Beat for 1 min to make a smooth batter.
• Reserve 5 asparagus tips and a few olives. Add the remaining asparagus, tomatoes, olives and two-thirds of the cheese to the batter. Pour into the tin, then put the reserved asparagus and olives on top. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 35-40 mins until the cake feels firm to the touch and is golden and crusty on top. Cool in the tin for 5 mins, then turn out and cool on a wire rack.