Leek, Mushroom, and Ham Bread Pudding

If you’re a fan of mac and cheese, pasta Carbonara, quiche, cream pies, custards, and any other creamy, gooey, melt-in-your-mouth dish, then this bread pudding is right up your alley. It all starts with slightly stale, leftover bread. If it’s homemade or artisan sourdough, all the better, especially if you’re able to thick-slice it yourself. However, if all you have is a store-bought, pre-sliced loaf, that will do just fine. Work with what you have. You’ll see from my photos that I am still semi-camping out in my Dutch VRBO and so my bowls, measuring cups, etc. are makeshift. Staying flexible is a key to enjoying life.

Bread pudding is an old-fashioned, homey dish developed as a means of using up bread otherwise destined to be fed to the chickens or discarded. It’s a kissing-cousin to French toast as it undergoes the same soaking in eggs and milk. Most people think of bread pudding as dessert, however savory versions make exceptional side dishes and pair well with most meat, poultry, and even fish dishes. My recipe makes a scrumptious main course; without the ham it could also be a memorable side dish.  

Be warned: This is a rich dish, best served with nothing more than a crisp green salad. If you are a vegetarian, by all means leave out the ham. I am fortunate that my local Dutch meat shop, which is also a deli, cooks their own ham and sells it sliced to order. A one-inch thick slice of ham is magical in this but you can use ham steak available at most grocery stores. You can substitute an onion for the leek, but the dish will not only suffer, and you will also rob yourself of the intoxicating aroma that only a leek cooked slowly in butter imparts.

Leek, Mushroom, and Ham Bread Pudding

Serves 4

5 cups slightly dried out homemade or artisan bread
1 leek
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 mushrooms, stems discarded
4 large eggs
2-1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup ham, diced into 1-inch cubes
1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley

Topping
1/3 cup grated Gruyère cheese
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Cut the crust from bread and discard. Slice the bread into 1-inch cubes. Place on a cookie sheet and let air dry for about 2 to 6 hours prior to assemblage.

2. When bread has air dried, prepare your leek: Pull off the tough outer leaf and trim off about a quarter of the tough dark green ends. Cut off part of the root end, then, from the intact root end, slice the leek lengthwise down the middle to open it up while keeping it whole. Soak in water for a few minutes. Leeks grow in sand and this helps remove the grit. While submerged in water, run your fingers between the leaves to remove any residual sand. Rinse well. Chop the leek crosswise into half-inch pieces.

3. Melt butter in a skillet large enough to hold the leek and the mushrooms. Add leek and gently sauté for about 10 minutes over low heat, letting it sweat and soften.

4. While the leek cooks, clean and chop mushrooms by slicing in half and then turning and slicing in thirds so you have six pieces per mushroom. After the leek has cooked for about 10 minutes, add mushrooms and lightly season with salt and pepper. Sauté an additional 6 or so minutes until mushrooms have softened. Remove from heat and set aside. 

5. Crack eggs into a large bowl and beat with a fork until well blended. Add cream, milk, the teaspoon of salt and pepper, and nutmeg. Stir until blended, then toss in the bread cubes and let soak for at least 30 minutes.

6. Preheat oven to 375°. Butter a 9 x 13 casserole pan, preferably porcelain. Toss bread and if it seems at all dry, add additional cream. You want the mixture to be moist, with some liquid showing. Toss in the leek-mushroom mixture, cheeses, and parsley. Pour into a prepared pan, leaving a few inches at the top as the bread pudding expands while baking. Top with cheese. Cover with tinfoil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove tinfoil and bake an additional 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is bubbly and beautifully brown. The heady aroma of the Gruyère should make you hungry. Remove from oven and let rest about 5 minutes before plating.