Best Savory Strata Bread Pudding Recipes

SAVORY BREAD PUDDING WITH KALE AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Bring a medium or large pot of water to a boil, salt generously and add the kale. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, until tender but still colorful. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, then drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop coarsely and set aside.
• If using garlic, cut one of the garlic cloves in half and rub the slices of bread with the cut side. Then mince all of the garlic. Cut the bread into 1-inch squares.
• Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a heavy, wide skillet and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring often, until they begin to soften, and add the thyme, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook for another minute or two, until the mushrooms are tender and fragrant. Stir in the kale, toss together and remove from the heat.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil or butter a 2-quart baking dish, soufflé dish or gratin. In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes, the mushrooms and kale, and the two cheeses and toss together. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
• Beat together the eggs and milk. Add salt to taste and a few twists of the pepper mill, and pour over the bread mixture. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before baking so that the bread can absorb some of the liquid.
• Place in the oven and bake 40 to 50 minutes, until puffed and browned. Remove from the oven and serve hot or warm.

SAVORY STRATA

Steps:

• Whisk together milk, eggs, 1/4 teaspoon salt, Tabasco and nutmeg. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.
• Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add leeks, and toss to coat with oil. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes or until leeks are soft. Season with 3/4 teaspoon salt. Cool.
• Mix together ricotta, Parmesan, pepper and herbs. Stir in the cooled leeks.
• Grease a roasting pan 9 by 12 by 2 1/2 inches with 1 teaspoon butter. Lay 6 slices of bread in the bottom of the pan. Top with half of the ricotta-leek mixture. Repeat with a second layer. Place the last layer of bread in the pan, and spread the top with the softened butter.
• Pour the custard over the bread, gently pressing top slices into the mixture. Place on a cookie sheet, wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic, and sprinkle the top with the cheese. Place in a larger pan, and put on the middle rack of oven. Fill the larger pan with boiling water to come up about halfway on the smaller pan. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until puffy and brown. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

SAVORY BREAD PUDDING WITH BROCCOLI AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Rub the bread slices, front and back, with the cut clove of garlic. Cut into cubes. Place in a bowl and toss with 1 cup of the milk and let sit while you prepare the other ingredients. Note: If the bread is too hard to cut safely, place the whole chunk in a bowl with 1 cup of the milk. Refrigerate for 1 hour or longer, turning the bread in the milk every once in a while. Remove the bowl with the soaked bread from the refrigerator. Break up the bread with your hands. Using a wooden spoon, a whisk or an immersion blender, mash or beat the soaked bread so that the mixture turns into a mush.
• In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and goat cheese. Beat in the milk. Add salt to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon), a few twists of pepper and the bread, along with any milk remaining in the bowl in which you soaked the bread. Stir well to combine. Let sit for 15 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Rub the sides of a 2-quart baking dish or gratin with the cut side of a garlic clove. Oil or butter the dish. Mince any remaining garlic from the halves you used to rub the bread and the dish. Break up the broccoli crowns into florets and steam for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain and cut the florets into 1/2-inch slices, or chop coarsely.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet and add the minced garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds, and stir in 1 teaspoon of the thyme, the broccoli, and salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Stir together for a minute, until the broccoli is nicely seasoned, and remove from the heat. Stir into the bread mixture.
• Scrape the bread mixture into the baking dish. If including tomatoes, scrape in half the bread mixture and layer half the tomatoes on top. Spread the remaining bread mixture over the tomatoes and top with the remaining tomatoes. Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper, sprinkle with the remaining thyme and drizzle on the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Place in the oven and bake 50 minutes, until puffed, set and lightly browned. Remove from the oven and serve hot or warm.

SAVORY STRATA (BREAD PUDDING)

Steps:

• Rub olive oil on the peppers and roast them at 350 degrees for about a half hour, until they are soft and have started to color. When they are cool, slice into strips, discarding the seeds and stem. Set aside.
• Cook bacon (preferably in the microwave, between layers of papertowel). Do not overcook. The bacon should not be brittle. When cool, chop into medium sized pieces. Set aside.
• Melt half the butter, and cook the sliced mushrooms about ten minutes, until they give up their liquid. Set aside.
• Melt the rest of the butter and slowly cook the onions and garlic until they are translucent and soft. Set aside.
• This will work best with a good quality, crusty bread. Cut it into slices about an inch thick. If it's not stale, lightly toast the slices.
• Butter the bottom of a large casserole. First put down one layer of bread (break up as necessary), and then layer the following in a way that appeals to you: cheese, peppers, bacon, onions, mushrooms. You should have enough for three full layers of each ingredient, but if you don't, it doesn't matter.
• Beat the eggs with the milk, half and half, salt and pepper to taste, and the tarragon. Some people prefer basil, but I like the contrast of the tarragon to the cheese.
• Slowly pour this mixture over the layered casserole. You have to give the layers of bread time to soak up the mixture, so don't rush this. When you're finished, a finger pressed into the top should cause liquid to bubble up. If that doesn't happen, add more milk or half and half.
• Cover with a layer of grated cheese.
• Baked covered casserole in a 375 oven for about forty-five minutes. Take the lid off the casserole and bake for another twenty minutes until pressing the flat of a spoon into the top of the casserole does not cause liquid to well up. It's done when the top is crispy and browned.
• Let this sit for twenty minutes to half an hour before serving. It will be very, very hot.
• I serve this with a green salad and fruit.