Amanda Hesser is a food writer for The New York Times. She and writer Merrill Stubbs have created Food52.com, a collaborative website that is collecting recipes from home cooks. They announce a category and recipes are submitted. Amanda and Merrill choose three recipes to test. Two are presented to the collaborators and a winner is voted on. They hope to publish a cookbook with about 150 recipes.
(Photo: Sarah Shatz)
This Savory Bread Pudding recipe won their Week 14 competition:
Serves 4
3 cups diced bread
4 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
4 oz chevre, finely crumbled
3 oz prosciutto, diced
1 tsp fresh thyme
2 shallot, minced
4 crimini mushrooms, sliced
Cracked pepper, to taste
1/4 cup shredded gruyere or parmesan (optional)
Toast bread cubes in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or so, stirring halfway through. Leave oven on at 350.
In a bowl, mix together eggs, milk, and cream until thoroughly blended.
In a 9x9 square baking pan, toss together bread cubes, prosciutto, shallot, mushrooms, thyme, and pepper.
Gently stir in chevre.
Pour egg mixture over bread cubes.
If desired, garnish with a shredded cheese such as parmesan or gruyere, for a golden crust.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into center reads above 145 degrees.
Music Break: Latin Slide by La Clave