The Christmas party circuit has begun. All of the sudden, you turn around, look at your calendar and realize that you have something going on almost every weekend. I would bet there is a lot of food involved, too. Cookie parties, recipe exchanges, progressive dinners, potlucks — you name it, it’s happening somewhere.
Last week I posted a play on Ossobuco using beef shanks and braising them in apple cider. I can’t lie, they were pretty awesome and, by the way, it’s a great make-ahead meal for your next dinner party. To accompany the tasty beef shanks, I made some mini savory bread puddings. When you hear “bread pudding,” you immediately think of a sweet dessert, but in this case, it’s savory comforting goodness. It’s like dressing or stuffing, whatever you call it, but it’s so much better. Believe me, you will ditch the Stove Top and go for the savory bread pudding. Of course, nothing will ever compare to my Mami’s stuffing but this savory bread pudding comes close.
The base to this savory bread pudding is a crusty rosemary Tuscan bread. You can use any herb-infused bread you like; rosemary, thyme, garlic — whichever you like will work.
mirepoix, you are right! Now go bake yourself a cookie. 😀
Add herbs, milk and stock. Bring to a simmer.
In a separate bowl, whisk yolks until smooth and creamy.
Slowly whisk in the hot cream mixture until well-combined.
Return the custard to the sauce pan over medium heat. Stir until sauce thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Be patient; it will thicken. And don’t walk away because the moment you do, it will cook and turn into scrambled eggs.
In a large bowl, combine toasted bread. Add cranberries and pecans. Pour custard over toasted bread and toss until well-combined.
Spoon bread mixture into buttered mini loaf molds or a 9 x 13 baking pan. I went with the mini or individual approach because it always seems a “little” fancier when made mini, but this can also be made in a large pan and cut into squares.
Place pan in a larger roasting pan and pour hot water into the roasting pan until it comes halfway up the sides. Bake about 1 hour or until they set. If baking in a 9 x 13 baking pan, the center may have a little jiggle. Set on the counter to cool and refrigerate overnight.
You will be tempted to unmold and dig in, but I promise you if you let it set overnight it’s even better.
When ready to serve, unmold mini loaves or cut into squares and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a 350-degree oven to reheat and serve.
Take these mini savory bread pudding loaves to your next Christmas party and you will be oh so popular. Like, totally popular. Then you tell them that they too can be awesome and popular by visiting The Noshery and making savory bread pudding themselves for their next Christmas party.
Savory Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 loaf rosemary tuscan bread, cubed
- 4 tbs butter
- 1/2 large onion, small diced
- 1 carrot, small diced
- 1 - 2 ribs celery, small diced
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh minced thyme
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh minced marjoram
- 1/2 cup cranberries
- 1/2 cup pecan pieces
Unfortunately this was not good at all–dry in texture and very bland in taste. I followed the recipe exactly except substituted tart cherries for the cranberry and walnuts for the pecan. Tempered the beaten egg yolks perfectly and the custard had the correct consistency. My bread loaf was quite similar in size also. Despite this, the pudding was nearly inedible and went largely untouched at our family holiday dinner. This recipe minimally needs an additional cup of chicken stock and salt and pepper to taste. As a side note, it is important that you transfer the sauteed mirepoix to a bowl before making the custard (as pictured). I will stick to a traditional stuffing recipe in the future.
Hello Meseidy,
how many cups of bread cubes would you say is a loaf of bread for this recipe. Also, if i wanted to add ground beef to it would it work and how much ground beef? would you ever consider making your mom’s stuffing into a bread pudding and how would you prepare it?
I would say a loaf would produce 3 – 4 cups of bread cubes. I have not tired adding ground beef but,I think ground beef or even a sausage would make a great addition. Keep you quantity low, maybe 1/2 a pound, you just want to add some flavor of the beef. You wouldn’t want to lose the bread pudding texture. Also, be sure to drain the grease from the meat.
I have never tried making my mother’s dressing into a bread pudding. It’s my Mami’s dressing so, I am kind of a purest. 😀 Also, I don’t think it would be a good adjustment. The texture of stove top would lend to the bread pudding ending up mushy. Mushy bread pudding in my opinion it no bueno. 😀
I actually will be making this again this evening for an event. So, if I see any improvements I can make I will update the recipe. Keep an eye out.
I’m dying to make this recipe but could you clarify how much chicken stock is required for the recipe, is it 1 cup or 1 32-oz. carton or…? I love your blog, thanks for all of your hard work!
Hi there, i just realized she didn’t specify how much stock to use. With only days away from T-Day, i may just have to try another recipe if she doesnt respond.
These look great! I wouldn’t have ever thought of baking them portioned out into mini loafs….but that’s brilliant. 🙂
I just took these out of the ovenI had to take a bite. YUM OOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I will be a good girl and put them in the fridge until tomorrow…My question is: How long do I reheat them in the oven TOMORROW, and any ideas on how to serve them…All I can think of is a good cup of P.R. CAFE
Reheat them for 10 – 15 minutes. I would serve them sliced as a side dish to any meaty saucy dish. They are perfect with saucy dishes because it soaks up the sauce.
Use a serrated knife if you choose to slice them.
YUM! I love how you can see the pieces of carrot, pecan and cranberry against the herbs. Looks absolutely amazing and I can promise you I would eat like 12 of those minis at a holiday party.