A friend recently made a dinner that was too die for: grilled tri-tip steak, asparagus and gruyere bread pudding and vanilla ice cream with lavender-sugar soaked strawberries and angel crisp cookies.
Every bite was so, so good. But it's the bread pudding that I can't get out of my mind.
I've never made a savory bread pudding, but will be soon. This one had bits of cheese, asparagus and fresh herbs.
She took some liberties with a recipe from Bon Appetit magazine.
Here's that original recipe. Use any combination of your favorite herbs and cheese.
Asparagus and Gruyere Savory Bread Pudding
1 (1-pound) loaf French bread, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 pound asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
6 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups grated Gruyère cheese
2 cups grated Swiss cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup chopped fresh chives
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup chopped fresh marjoram
1. Place bread on 2 large baking sheets. Let stand uncovered overnight to dry out.
2. Cook asparagus in medium pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain. Rinse under cold running water to cool. Drain well.
3. Whisk eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in large bowl. Mix cheeses and herbs in medium bowl. Place half of bread in 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle with half of asparagus, then half of cheese mixture. Pour half of egg mixture over. Repeat with remaining bread, asparagus, cheese mixture, and egg mixture. Let stand 20 minutes, pressing with spatula to submerge bread pieces.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake bread pudding until brown and puffed, about 45 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.
