Savory Bread Pudding With Summer Squash And Shallot Salad

This certainly wasn't a traditional Memorial Day meal. We usually have something off the grill, but I felt like eating lighter fare.   And light it was, almost like a savory angel food cake.  I don't kid myself that it was low in calories, as it contained two cups of cheese. But, it did seem much less greasy than strata recipes I've had in the past, which ooze puddles of oil all over your plate.  I used an egg laden white bread in the dish, so it came out light as a cloud. Seriously.  If there wasn't a mushroom layer, it would have surely floated away.  Deborah Madison, who created this dish for the Green's Restaurant in San Francisco, recommends trying different breads. Whole wheat bread will make the pudding crunchy and nutty tasting.  With white bread, the custard makes it swell like a souffle. As a side dish, a salad looks and tastes best with this kind of creamy concoction. So, I made a warm summer squash salad, also from Deborah Madison.  Freshly picked tomatoes would have been even better.

The pudding puffed up nicely  but took longer to cook, about 10 addtional minutes, than the recipe stated. But, I've found that this kind of recipe usually takes longer for the custard to set.

Even thought this has two cups of cheese in it, notice that there is no oil puddled in the bottom of the dish. And it remained puddle free until the last wedge was eaten. 

No grease on the dinner plate either.  I swear, I didn't wipe any oil off the plate for the shot.

The salad could be served at room temperature, but we enjoy it warm, served just after the squash were cooked.

Savory Bread Pudding   (Deborah Madison)

1 tablespoon butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup white wine or water
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces mushrooms, irregularly sliced
salt
pepper
2 cups milk
3 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons chives or green onions, chopped
6 to 8 slices bread
2 cups mixed grated cheese: parmesan, provolone, jack, swiss, etc.  I used swiss, parmesan and a little smoked gouda. The smoked cheese added a nice taste.

Warm the butter in a large skillet or saute pan over medium heat and cook the onion. Add the dried herbs, and cook onion until it's very soft, about 10-16 minutes. Add a little wine or water if it seems dry.

Add olive oil, add mushrooms and cook over high heat, stirring, for about 4 minutes.  Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

Whisk milk into the eggs, season with about 1/2 teaspoon salt, and add the chopped chives or green onions.

Trim crusts from the bread and cut in half. Butter an oblong baking pan, a deep dish pie plate, or individual ramekins.  Arrange half the bread over the bottom, trimming bread pieces to fit into spaces.   Spoon mushroom mixture and half the cheese over the bread. Follow that with the rest of the bread and remaining cheese.

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Pour the custard over the top, cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove cover and bake another another 10-15 minutes until the custard is set.   Note:  it may take longer to cook. Test by sticking a knife into the center--it should come out somewhat clean.   

Summer Squash And Shallot Salad    (Deborah Madison)

2 small shallots, sliced thinly into rings
2 1/2 Tablespoons champagne vinegar (or another type vinegar)
1 pound small summer squash of your choosing
4-5 tablespoons olive oil
salt/pepper
parsley or chervil, finely chopped

Put shallots, vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl and let sit for at least 10 minutes. 

Bring 3 quarts of water to boil and add the squash, 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook the squash until they are a little soft.  My squash were small, so it took about 2-3 minutes.  Pierce as few squash as possible while testing, so that they don't become waterlogged. Drain the squash and set them on a paper towel.  Whisk the olive oil into the shallot mix, season with salt and pepper to taste and add the herbs.  Cut the squash in half length wise and toss it with the dressing while they are still warm.  Serve to much acclaim.

Comments

[Barbara (Biscuit Girl)]

YUM! Your bread pudding looks fantastic. I'm going to have to try this recipe.

[steven]

That looks really good, but I'm going to hold off trying it until the weather cools down a bit.

[Shannon]

Man, oh, man, that looks amazing! I've never made a bread pudding before but THAT, I will try!

[Alanna]

Yummy!

[Glenna]

I love copying you , Sher! This will be dinner at my house tomorrow night except I'll have to add some ham or chicken or my husband just might waste away and die on the spot from the mere thought of a dinner without meat. There's meat and then everything else: bread, pasta, rice, vegetables, etc., are all just annoying condiments in the world of meat.

[ann]

WOW, yeah, that sounds amazing! i love savory bread pudding... a lot. But this will have to wait til fall, my tiny, east facing apartment is beginning to heat up just from the sun, it's officially hit no-more-cooking-at-ann's-house weather
*sigh*

[gattina]

sher,
oh mine! I have to try your pudding, it's divine!!! And I wish I could have checked your squash salad earlier... I bought a zucchini and didn't how how to put it in salad (the way I like). Yours do look very good!

[Glenna]

Okay, Sher. That was so good I have to go to church on Sunday because anything that gives me that much pleasure most assuredly will send me to hell. Holy Cow, that was good and Gene loved it too. Well he did say "More Meat!" but his mouth was full at the time and he was shoveling up another huge bite on his fork. Thanks for that one. It's going into my official rotation.

[sher]

Barbara & Shannon,

I hope you like it if you make it--it's very simple, I must say.

Alanna,

Thanks!

Steven & Ann,

I know. It's heating up here, just in time for the best fruits to make jam! Ugh! Not fun to make jam when it's hot.

Glenna,

I'm so glad the pudding turned out so well for you and Gene. I wish I could have seen him shoveling it in his mouth. :)

Gattina,

Yes, I've been confused by some zuchinni myself. I'm glad you liked my salad--it was extremely easy to make.

[aria]

a savory pudding, whaaaaaaaaat?! yum, yum, and YUM. I cant wait to make this, omg :)

[steven]

Sher, regarding the jam, I cheated and put an electric stove out on my sun porch for canning and jam!

[gabriella true]

WOW. that looks fabulous. I have never even thought of savory bread pudding and now it sounds so obvious. I need to make this. Oh my god I am hungry.

[Céline]

This looks delicious. It sounds summery but it could also make the perfect comfort food for us, the frozen foodies in the Southern Hemisphere.

[Gerald]

Interesting! I would've never thought to do a savory bread pudding. Have you ever tried a savory flan before?

[gattina]

Sher,
make your bread pudding... sooooo good!!! I can't see any single drop of oil! Yes, really as light as souffle! Fantastic! Hope you don't mind... I added this link in my recent post.

[sher]

aria,

Thank you! Hope you make it. Several people have told me they liked it very much.

Steven,

That's the best way to do it. Several of my relatives have installed stoves outside too, for cooking fried chicken and making jam. Wish I had that.

Gabriella,

I'm so glad that people like the recipe. I was afraid it looked a little homely in the photo! :)

Celine,

Yes, since it bakes in the oven, it would be great for your time of the year.

Gerald,

No, I haven't heard of it, but I imagine a savory flan would be wonderful.

Gattina,

Thank you for putting the link in your post! Your bread pudding looks wonderful--I like the idea of putting potatoes in it. Your photos are always beautiful, by the way.

[Julie]

This looks extremely tempting. Yum!

[sher]

Julie,

Thank you!

[Agridarderorb]

oh yeah, one more thing Are you becoming attached to my risks dish Nice joke! What goes faster than a rabbit in a field? A rabbit in a blender.