Savory Bread Pudding

This past Friday I took Chris out for his 25th birthday. We went to a wine concept restaurant, Vinology. Chris ordered the braised short ribs for his main course, which was served with a delicious savory bread pudding. However, we both felt that the parsley pistou over the top was a bit overpowering for the light creamy texture of the bread pudding. I did a little research and stitched together a couple of different recipes to come up with my own version. I had never tried my hand at a savory bread pudding but I quickly realized it is almost foolproof. This is a great alternative to other more starchy sides or can be a vegetarian main dish loaded up with veggies. I am a big fan of making it your own and encourage you to experiment with all kinds of things thrown in.

Ingredients:
Loaf of Challah (I had some left over from a great Jewish bakery)
6-8 Large Eggs
¼ c. Milk
½ c. Stock (chicken, beef, or veggie)
½ c. Cheese (parmesan or other firm salty cheese)
1 Red onion diced
3 Cloves of garlic minced
Olive oil

Season to taste with:
Fresh thyme
Fresh basil
Fresh parsley
Cracked black pepper
Coarse sea salt

*Optional
1 bunch of greens (kale, spinach or swiss chard)
Asparagus
Peas
Mushrooms

Directions:
Turn on broiler

1. Roughly cut the bread into cubes for toasting, drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper toss and spread on baking sheet. Broil until toasted and golden brown.
2. Beat eggs, milk, and savory spices together to make the custard, (about 1 min.) until it is light and fluffy.
3. Sauté onions and garlic in couple of tablespoons of the olive oil until just golden brown.
Preheat oven to 400
4. Lightly oil baking dish (I used a medium caserol dish, make sure dish is deep enough to accomodate all of the bread with room for a bit of puff from the egg mixture) with olive oil and toss toast, spinach, and cheese together. Mix custard and cooled savory sauté, pour over other ingredients in baking dish. Bake for 30 min. or until golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Notes:
Serve with hearty meats with gravy as an alternative to mashed potatoes, or smothered with bacon and sautéed green onions for a light savory breakfast the next day.
makes