Savory Bread Pudding with Sausage and Mushrooms

Recipe courtesy Sandra Lee 2009

Show: Sandra's Money Saving Meals
Episode: Cheaper by the Dozen

Cook Time: 45 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 12 mini bread puddings

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 (8-ounce) package sliced white mushrooms
• 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 baguette, day old, cubed

Directions

Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat and saute the mushrooms. Add the sausage and stir over the heat until browned and cooked through.

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Add the cubed bread to the egg mixture and let the egg and bread mixture sit for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator to allow the bread to absorb the liquid.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Remove the egg mixture from the refrigerator, add the sausage and mushrooms and stir to combine. Ladle the bread pudding mixture into the muffin tins and bake until set, about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the puddings from the muffin tins to a serving platter and serve.

Chocolate Bread Pudding

from "Real Simple Magazine"

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Makes 6 servings

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 ounces (1/2 loaf) stale baguette, cut into 1-inch cubes*
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
3 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder, for dusting

Preheat oven to 325°F. Coat six 5-ounce ramekins with the butter. Place the bread in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, whisk together the cream, milk, and vanilla and warm over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, just until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and add the chocolate chips, whisking until smooth. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar. Slowly whisk in a small amount of the hot chocolate cream, then whisk the egg mixture into the cream until thoroughly combined. Pour the mixture over the bread, stir, and press firmly with a spatula, making sure all the bread is soaked. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 20 minutes at room temperature. (It can soak in the refrigerator for up to a day.) Bring a large kettle of water to a boil. Remove the plastic wrap and divide the chocolate bread into the prepared ramekins. Press down gently and ladle any remaining liquid evenly among the ramekins, then place them in a large roasting pan. Transfer the pan to the oven and fill with boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until the pudding is set, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool at least 5 minutes in the water. Dust each ramekin with the cocoa. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Tip: You can make this recipe in an 8-by-8-inch baking dish instead of individual ramekins. Be sure to increase the baking time to about 40 minutes.

NUTRITION PER SERVINGCALORIES 474(57% from fat); FAT 30g (sat 18g); PROTEIN 7mg; CHOLESTEROL 156mg; SODIUM 176mg; FIBER 3g; CARBOHYDRATE 50g;