Savory Asparagus Bread Pudding Recipes

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.

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.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• In a large bowl soak the bread crumbs in the milk for 30 minutes, and set aside. In a skillet saute the leeks in 4 tablespoons of the butter for 5 minutes until soft. Add the salt, pepper, thyme and sage, stir well to combine, and set aside to cool.
• In a large bowl whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. In another bowl, beat the yolks until they are light yellow and frothy. Add the yolks to the bread mixture, and stir well. Add the leeks, and stir well. Using a rubber spatula, fold the egg whites into the bread mixture.
• Butter a 2-quart baking dish with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the bread mixture, and bake for 45 minutes until golden; serve immediately.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Oil or butter a 2-quart baking dish or gratin. If the bread is soft, toast it lightly and rub all the slices, front and back, with the cut clove of garlic. If it's stale, just rub with garlic Mince what garlic remains. Combine the two cheeses in a small bowl.
• Layer half of the bread slices in the baking dish. Top with half the tomato slices. Sprinkle the tomato slices with salt, pepper, and half the thyme, rosemary, and remaining garlic. Top with half the cheese. Repeat the layers.
• Beat together the eggs and milk. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few twists of the pepper mill, and pour over the bread and tomato layers. Place in the oven and bake 40 to 50 minutes, until puffed and browned. Remove from the oven and serve hot or warm.

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.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Generously butter a 2-quart shallow casserole or gratin dish. Butter one side of a piece of foil large enough to cover the dish during baking.
• In a large bowl, whisk together milk, eggs and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Gently toss in baguette cubes, and let the mixture sit while you prepare the remaining ingredients, stirring it occasionally.
• In a food processor, pulse together the artichokes, scallions, parsley, garlic, hot sauce and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt until finely chopped. (Alternatively, you can chop everything finely by hand.)
• Scoop half the soaked bread into the casserole dish and arrange in an even layer. Top with half the artichoke mixture and half the cheese. Repeat layers of bread, artichokes and cheese. Cover with aluminum foil, buttered-side down.
• Bake for 30 minutes, then remove foil. Continue to bake until golden at the edges and springy in the middle, about 15 minutes. (If you'd like, broil on low for 1 to 2 minutes for a more browned top.) Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Squeeze a lemon wedge over the top and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with more hot sauce on the side.

Steps:

• Butter or oil an 8-inch souffle or baking dish, and put bread in it. Combine everything but shiitakes, and pour over bread. Submerge bread with a weighted plate, and turn oven to 350 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons butter or oil in a saute pan, add shiitakes and saute until tender, about 10 minutes.
• Remove plate, and stir in mushrooms. Bake until pudding is just set, 35 to 45 minutes.

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread, Swiss cheese and half of the Parmesan cheese.
• In a large skillet over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add mushrooms, and saute until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to the mixing bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter to the skillet, and add the spinach and Swiss chard leaves. Saute until wilted, about 2 minutes, and transfer to the mixing bowl.
• Bring a small pan of water to a boil, and add the leeks and Swiss chard stems. Blanch for 1 minute, remove from heat and drain well. Add to bread mixture.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rub the inside of an 8-inch-square baking pan with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. In a medium bowl, beat egg just until blended.
• In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine milk and heavy cream. Bring to a boil, and remove from heat. While whisking vigorously, add about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture to the egg, then return the egg mixture to the pan and whisk until blended. Add milk mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients, and stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer mixture to the baking pan, pressing gently on surface. Bake pudding until set, about 15 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven. Preheat a broiler with a rack about 6 inches from the heat. Unmold pudding onto a cookie sheet or other flat pan. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan cheese on top of the pudding, and place under broiler until golden brown, about 20 seconds. Serve while hot.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400ºF (205ºC). Lightly grease a 10-inch (25 cm) square baking dish.
• Preheat a 6-quart (5.7 L) pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion and celery in the olive oil with a pinch of salt until onion is lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Stir in the onion powder, sage, thyme, rosemary, 1 teaspoon salt, and several dashes of pepper and turn off the heat.
• Put the bread cubes in a large mixing bowl. Add the cooked vegetable mixture and toss to thoroughly coat. Pour in the vegetable broth, ½ cup (120 ml) at a time, mixing well after each addition. The bread should be moist but not soggy, so you may not need to add all the broth.
• Transfer the stuffing mixture to the prepared casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool a bit before serving.