Mushroom Bread Pudding
Why I Love This Recipe
I originally had mushroom bread pudding when I worked at the Chopping Block. I've made a few different variations over the years, but this is the latest version. It's a nice alternative to stuffing during the holidays.
Ingredients You'll Need
2 cups heavy cream
4 eggs
1 medium-size loaf Italian bread, cubed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for buttering baking dish
2 small sweet onions, chopped
4 pounds button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
Italian Seasoning, to taste
Worcestershire sauce, to taste
1/4 cup dry Marsala
Smoked Sweet Paprika, to taste
Truffle salt, to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more to top
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
On a sheet pan put cubed bread. Toast it in the oven until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes (check and stir every 5 min).
In a large saute pan melt the butter and saute the onions until transluscent. Add the mushrooms and Italian seasoning and Worcestershire and saute until browned and all liquid has evaporated, about 10-15 minutes. Add Marsala and continue to saute until just evaporated. Remove from heat, season with salt, pepper, smoked paprika and additional Italian seasoning if needed. (This is a lot of mushrooms -- you may need to saute them in two batches. Don't crowd the mushrooms!)
In a large bowl, whisk eggs. Season cream to taste with truffle salt, smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper. Add to eggs, and whisk to combine. Mix in the bread cubes along with the mushroom mixture and grated Parmesan.
Transfer the mixture to a 9 by 13-inch baking dish, top with more grated Parmesan, to taste.
Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the custard is set. A knife inserted in the middle of the mixture should come out clean.
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Alternately, to cook in slow cooker, cook mixture on low for 4 to 4.5 hours, checking occasionally.
