brunch deux

Next up is the recipe that my sweet sister, Sloane, made. It’s one of my favorites!

A few of the other guests brought recipes that have already been featured here on the blog… for instance, Peggy made THIS great salad that I wrote about back in September 2009.  And Peggy’s fabulous sister, Terrie, made a beautiful platter of roasted asparagus that was generously topped with crumbled goat cheese, crispy bacon, and lemon.  Regretfully, I didn’t get a picture of either Terrie’s asparagus or Peggy’s salad, (you can go to the link above to see the salad).  But thankfully I did snap a lovely picture of gorgeous Peggy!

Sloane’s Savory Bread Pudding with Mushrooms and Parmesan

1-pound loaf crusty country-style white bread
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 large garlic clove, peeled and minced
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 pound assorted fresh mushrooms (such as crimini, button, portobello, and/or shiitake), thinly sliced
1  1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1  1/2 cups thinly sliced celery
1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
3  1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
8 large eggs
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 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 a very large bowl. Add oil, thyme, and garlic; toss to coat.

Spread cubes out on the large rimmed baking sheet. (do not wash the bowl) Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until golden and slightly crunchy, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes. Return toasted bread cubes to the same bowl.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, celery, and bell pepper. Sauté until vegetables are soft and their juices have evaporated for about 15 minutes. Add sautéed vegetables to the bread in the bowl, and stir in the parsley.

Whisk cream, eggs, salt, and pepper in another large bowl. Mix custard into bread and vegetables. Transfer to prepared dish. Sprinkle cheese over. (May be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Remove the dish from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking to come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake uncovered until eggs are set and the top is golden about 1 hour. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

Serves 12