Savory Bread Pudding

This is a recipe from 'The Violet Bakery Cookbook' by Claire Ptack. I love this cookbook because it includes both sweet and savory recipes. While I'm typing this, I have blueberry scones in the oven and a blueberry compote on the stove from this same cookbook. Yum!

I've made a few tweaks to this recipe based on my tastes and what I have in the fridge and cupboards. For example, I like bread crust and enjoy the texture of it in this pudding. She removes the crust.

Here's what you'll need:

1 loaf sour dough bread, thinly sliced. Butter a large baking pan or cassoulet baking pot. Place one layer of bread in the bottom. Set remainder of bread aside.

Custard:
8 eggs 
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
salt and pepper (I like Omnivore salt which can be purchased on Amazon or some grocery stores carry it.) 

I use my stand-up mixture to make the custard. Start with the eggs first in case any shells end up in the bowl. A regular glass or stainless steel bowl will work fine too. Whisk all of the custard ingredients together until blended.

Custard can be kept out while you prepare the rest of the ingredients, but if your kitchen is warm, I suggest placing in the fridge.

Remainder of filling ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large fennel bulb or 2 small ones, washed, and cut into 1/2 inch wedges. (I also use the stems.)
sale and pepper
6 garlic cloves peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons lemon juice plus the zest from the skin
2 tablespoons white or red Balsamic vinegar ( I love Kitchen of Love, Cucina & Amore brand)
1 small organic tomato (Heirloom if in season)
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
10 black olives (I usually use Trader Joe's pitted Kalamata olives)
1/2 teaspoon dried Savory or Thyme
1/2 teaspoon Harissa seasoning or dried chilis (I like Spicely Organics and joined their coop)
5 onces Gruyere cheese, grated (I also like the Gruyere, cheddar cheese I can sometimes find at Traders.) 
1/3 cup ricotta cheese (I've used 1/3 cup goat cheese I had stored in the freezer too.)

Heat 2 Tbs olive oil in a large pan. Use a cast iron large skillet if you have one. Add and brown the fennel. Remove the fennel from the pan and place aside on plate or in a bowl. (I often use the lid, upside down, of my cassoulet pot as a plate for this.)

Add remainder of olive oil and add the garlic. Brown the garlic until golden. Add lemon juice, vinegar, tomato, olives, and spices, and cook on medium until juices are cooked down by half. Add capers. Return fennel to the pan. Add lemon zest.

Preheat your oven to 355 F.

Basically you're going to layer the cheese, bread, custard and filling like you would if you were making a lasagne. On the layer of bread already in the pan, add approximately 1/3 of the custard and filling. Then add about 1/3 of the grated and soft cheese. 

Now add another layer of bread, filling, custard and cheese. And again another layer of bread, etc. I end up with a final few pieces of bread and I'll add extra cheese if needed so the top layer is toasty, cheesy, crispy, bread - topping off this custardy savory goodness.

Bake for 1 hour or until set and golden. In my deep, dish cassoulet, it's usually more like 1 1/2 hours to be set and done. It should be firm and not runny.

Bon Appetite! Buy her cookbook for this blueberry scone recipe.