Savory Bread Pudding With English Sausage Wilted Leeks And Dried Pears Food

SAUSAGE AND LEEK SAVORY BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease six 12-ounce ramekins with 2 tablespoons of the butter and set aside on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Spread the brioche on a second rimmed baking sheet and bake, tossing halfway through, until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
• Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and squash and cook, breaking up the meat with the back of a spoon, until the sausage is browned and the squash is tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in the leeks, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and continue to cook, stirring often, until the leeks are wilted and softened, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk together the chicken broth, cream, parsley, chives and eggs in a medium bowl. Add half the brioche to the ramekins. Divide the sausage mixture among the ramekins; top with 1 cup of the Gruyere and the remaining brioche. Pour the egg mixture over and sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup Gruyere.
• Set aside at room temperature for 15 minutes to allow the bread to absorb the egg mixture. Bake on the baking sheet until the custard is set and the bread pudding is puffed and golden, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with chives before serving.

MUSHROOM AND LEEK BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the bread cubes on a sheet pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil and butter in a large (12-inch) saute pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook for 5 minutes, until starting to brown. Stir in the leeks and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until the leeks are tender. Stir in the mushrooms, tarragon, sherry, 1 tablespoon salt and 11/2 teaspoons pepper and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until most of the liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Off the heat, stir in the parsley.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, chicken stock and 1 cup of the Gruyere. Add the bread cubes and mushroom mixture, stirring well to combine. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the bread to absorb the liquid. Stir well and pour into a 2 1/2-to-3-quart gratin dish (13 x 9 x 2 inches). Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Gruyere and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the top is browned and the custard is set. Serve hot.

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.

SAVORY BREAD PUDDING WITH SAUSAGE, SPINACH, POACHED EGGS, AND PARMESAN-THYME CREAM

Steps:

• For the Parmesan-thyme cream: In a heavy-bottomed saucepot over medium-low heat, add the cream, bay leaf and garlic. Simmer until reduced by two-thirds, about 20 minutes, being careful not boil the liquid or scorch the bottom of the pot. With a slotted spoon, remove the garlic and bay leaf. Whisk in the Parmesan. When the Parmesan has melted the sauce is smooth, add the thyme, salt and pepper. Cook for another 2 minutes. Serve warm. (Make 1 quart.)
• For the savory bread pudding: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until beginning to soften, 4 minutes. Add the celery, garlic and thyme; cook for another 3 minutes. Set aside and let cool.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs, and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. In another mixing bowl place the cubed bread. Pour the milk-egg mixture over the bread and mix. Let sit for 10 minutes, until the bread has soaked up liquid. Fold in onion mixture.
• Grease an 8-by-10-inch baking dish with the butter. Add the bread mixture and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook until the top is toasted and golden brown, another 10 to 15 minutes.
• To serve, cut into 4-by-4-inch portions and place on a plate. Add a sausage patty, 1/4 cup of the spinach and two poached eggs. Pour one-quarter of the Parmesan-thyme cream over the top.

SAVORY BREAD PUDDING WITH SAUSAGE AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat and saute the mushrooms. Add the sausage and stir over the heat until browned and cooked through.
• In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Add the cubed bread to the egg mixture and let the egg and bread mixture sit for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator to allow the bread to absorb the liquid.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Remove the egg mixture from the refrigerator, add the sausage and mushrooms and stir to combine. Ladle the bread pudding mixture into the muffin tins and bake until set, about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the puddings from the muffin tins to a serving platter and serve. Reserve 3 puddings for the Round 2 Recipe, Savory Bread Pudding Bites with Apple Mustard Sauce.
• Use the leftovers from this recipe to make Savory Bread Pudding Bites with Apple Mustard Sauce .

LEEK BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Put the leek rounds in a large bowl of tepid water and swish so that any dirt falls to the bottom of the bowl. Set a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat, lift the leeks from the water, drain, and add them to the pan. Season with salt and cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. As the leeks begin to soften, lower the heat to medium-low. The leeks will release liquid. Stir in the butter to emulsify, and season with pepper to taste. Cover the pan with a parchment lid, and cook, stirring every 10 minutes, until the leeks are very soft, 30 to 35 minutes. If at any point the butter breaks or looks oily, stir in about a tablespoon of water to re-emulsify the sauce. Remove and discard the parchment lid.
• Meanwhile, spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan about halfway through, until dry and pale gold. Transfer to a large bowl. Leave the oven on.
• Add the leeks to the bread and toss well, then add the chives and thyme.
• Lightly whisk the eggs in another large bowl. Whisk in the milk, cream, a generous pinch of salt, pepper to taste, and a pinch of nutmeg.
• Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cheese in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Spread half the leeks and croutons in the pan and sprinkle with another 1/4 cup cheese. Scatter the remaining leeks and croutons over and top with another 1/4 cup cheese. Pour in enough of the custard mixture to cover the bread and press gently on the bread so it soaks in the milk. Let soak for about 15 minutes.
• Add the remaining custard, allowing some of the soaked cubes of bread to protrude. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup cheese on top and sprinkle with salt.
• Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until the pudding feels set and the top is brown and bubbling.

SAVORY BREAD PUDDING WITH ENGLISH SAUSAGE, WILTED LEEKS, AND DRIED PEARS

Steps:

• To make the sausage, place all the ingredients except the salt in a medium bowl, and knead with your hands until thoroughly blended. Cook and taste a small sample, then add salt if needed. Use right away, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
• To make the pudding, preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 3-quart baking dish.
• In a medium sauté pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and pears and stir to mix. Add the water, decrease the heat, and cook gently until the leeks wilt but remain bright green, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Add the bread, leek-pear mixture, salt, and pepper, and then add the sausage, breaking it into small clumps. Stir to mix and pour into the prepared dish.
• Bake until toasted on the top and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Let rest for at least 10 minutes or up to 30 minutes before serving. Serve warm.