Not Always a Dessert: Ham & Swiss Bread Pudding with Tarragon Mustard Sauce

 

When I think of bread pudding, I think of a wonderfully sweet creamy concoction created out of bread, eggs, sugar, spices and fruit.  But last night I stepped out of the plane of usual and created a  wonderfully creamy SAVORY bread pudding using that same base of cubed stale French bread and eggs, but added ham, celery, carrot, and savory spices that I served with a tarragon mustard sauce.  It was a huge hit in our house.  It has the down home tastiness of a ham and cheese casserole but with a little more downtown taste of the tarragon mustard sauce. This will be on our table again and again!

One of the great things about this recipe is that it's very versatile in the ingredients it will take to make a wonderful dish. I call recipes like this "This or That" recipes, meaning you can use this or that or some other thing and still make it turn out very well which comes in handy when you have, like the title of this blog, a fridge full of food...but not necessarily every exact ingredient for a certain recipe.

 

Ham and Cheese Bread Pudding

Recipe by Glenna Anderson Muse

Ingredients:

• 5 cups cubed stale bread:  French, Italian, sourdough, sandwich white, homemade or commercially made

• 3 cups ham, cubed or 2 cups of deli ham shredded

  2 cups grated cheese, any combination of monterrey jack, cheddar, parmesan, pepper jack,

  or Swiss

• 1 cup combination of onion, green onion celery, carrot, and sweet green or red pepper
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2.5 cups milk (any combination of 2%, whole, Half/half)
• 1 Tbsp olive or canola oil
• 2 TBSP fresh or 1 TBSP dried parsley
• 2 tsp cavenders or other all-purpose seasoning
• 1 clove garlic, minced or 1 tsp dried garlic
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

 

Directions:

 

1.  In a large heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat, saute vegetables and garlic. Set aside.

2. In an extra large mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add milk and whisk. Add rest of ingredients including cooked vegetables and mix all together thoroughly.  Turn out into a large casserole baking dish that has been buttered or sprayed with cooking spray.  

3.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 75-80 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees, the temp at which eggs set.  Place casserole on stove top and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes.  Make sauce while cooling.

Tarragon Mustard Sauce:

Recipe by Glenna Anderson Muse

2 TBSP butter

2 TBSP heaping flour, all purpose preferred but whole wheat white will also work

1 TBSP minced onion or green onion

1/8 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp dried tarragon or 1/2 fresh minced

2 tsp coarse ground mustard or yellow mustard

1 cup chicken broth

Directions:

1.  In heavy bottom skillet over medium heat, melt butter and saute onion until translucent. Cooking hint:  Have rest of ingredients ready and available at your fingertips.

2.  Sprinkle flour over butter/onion mixture and whisk so as not to burn while pouring in chicken broth in a small stream, constantly whisking.  Add rest of ingredients and whisk until sauce is bubbly and slightly thickened.  Serve over bread pudding.

Nutrition per 1/8 portion of bread pudding and sauce:  Calories:  479;  Protein: 30;  Carbs: 35;  Fat 24;  Fiber: 2; Weight Watchers Points: 13 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Jamie]

That looks really good.

[Kate]

A worthy recipe to try.
Love all of it with the exception of garlic so will substitute shallot instead.
I am very curious as to how you have calculated all the nutritional information.
We like to finish the meal with our favourite Yemeni Matari coffee from The Tea and Coffee Emporium, which I think will be a perfect partner for this meal.
Thanks for the post and the opportunity to comment.

[Tara]

I make something similar for breakfast - bread, egg, cooked sausage, cheese, etc. This one looks yummy too!

[tiffany outlet]

wonderful article ! I like it so much ! and get pleasure from your article ! Thank you for your sharing !

[Sally B]

Sweet goodness, I'd like to roll in that it looks so delicious!