Savory Sausage Bread Pudding
My friends can attest to the fact that I often prefer savory foods over sweet. Don’t get me wrong, I do thoroughly enjoy a wonderful dessert, but savory varieties of usually sweet dishes are often my favorites. Thus, this recipe I concocted for a savory bread pudding. This dish has the flavor and consistency of a strata and can easily be used for breakfast or dinner. For dinner serve with Honey Roasted Pear Salad with Goat Cheese. The sweet and savory dishes make a great combination. I hope you enjoy this dish. It is sure to become a favorite.
INGREDIENTS
1 French Baguette, cut into 1 inch cubes (let sit out to dry for 2-3 hours or overnight)
1/2 Medium Yellow Onion, Diced
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
4 Tbsp Butter, divided + extra to grease pan
1 lb Country Sausage
1/3 Cup White Wine
4 Tbsp Fresh Sage, finely chopped and divided
1/3 lb Gruyere, grated
1/4 lb Sharp Irish Cheddar (like Dubliner), grated
4 Eggs, beaten
2 Cups Low Fat Buttermilk
2 Tbsp Coarse Ground Dijon Mustard
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Freshly Ground Sea Salt
DIRECTIONS
1. Prep Baguette into Bread Cubes and let dry.
2. Cook onions in Olive Oil and 1/2 Butter in a large frying pan over medium heat until translucent. Add Sausage. Break sausage into small pieces while cooking. Add white wine and 1/2 sage. Cook until sausage is lightly crispy on the edges. Set aside and let oil drain off.
3. In buttered baking dish layer half of bread cubes, 1/2 of sausage and 1/2 of cheese. Make second layer with remaining bread, sausage and cheese.
4. In a large bowl melt remaining butter in microwave. Add remaining Sage, Eggs, Buttermilk, Dijon Mustard, Salt and Pepper. Whisk thoroughly until well blended.
5. Immediately pour mixture over bread, sausage and cheese in prepared dish. Cover and let sit for 45 minutes (so bread can soak up the buttermilk custard). Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Remove cover from dish and bake for 40 minutes or until the top is a dark golden brown.
7. Serve warm with a side salad for dinner or eggs and fruit for breakfast. Enjoy!
