Thursday, December 2, 2010

Butternut Squash and Cheddar Bread Pudding

I realize I'm sort of repeating myself here, but it couldn't be helped. Butternut squash and greens are just meant to be together. The bitter greens balance the sweet squash, and I've been getting, well let's just say, a steady supply of butternut squashes from my CSA this fall. So, once again, I have for you a savory dish with that perfect pairing. I was hoping to find a dish using butternut squash that would be good for brunch, and I found just the right thing on Epicurious. This first appeared in last November's Bon Appetit in Molly Wizenberg's story about creating a vegetarian main course for Thanksgiving. It's a rich and hearty, savory bread pudding with roasted squash, sauteed greens, lots of cheddar cheese, and a custard accented with dijon mustard and white wine. It would have been very fitting on the Thanksgiving table, but it was just as nice for brunch the weekend before.

First, the squash was peeled, seeded, cubed, and roasted. I actually roasted the squash the day before and stored it in the refrigerator. Then, a baguette was cubed and soaked with the custard mixture of eggs, whole milk, white wine, dijon mustard, and salt and pepper. The recipe calls for half and half, but I lightened it up just a bit by using whole milk instead. As the bread sat to soak, fresh greens that had been coarsely chopped were sauteed with minced shallots. Kale was the recommended type of greens here, but I used the broccoli greens I had just received from my CSA. Everything was layered in a baking dish, starting with half of the bread mixture, then half of the kale, and half of the roasted squash. That was topped with shredded cheddar cheese, and the layers were repeated. The assembled bread pudding was covered with parchment and foil, and it baked for about 20 minutes. The foil and parchment were removed, and it baked an additional 20 minutes.

Bread puddings are so versatile, and they make fantastic one-dish meals for brunch. This one was delightfully full of vegetables, and I've already gone on about how much I enjoy squash with greens. The melted cheese in the center and the browned cheese on top just made it even better. Now, I need to decide how to use the four more butternut squashes that are sitting in my kitchen this week.



31 comments:

  1. Lisa,
    I LOVE this recipe! I am in love with butternut squash gratins, and with bread, greens and cheese, yum!

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  2. A yummy pudding! That combo is perfect.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  3. This looks absolutely gorgeous, I LOVE savory bread puddings, and agree with you that squash and greens are a marriage made in heaven. - S

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  4. This bread pudding sounds amazing with butternut squash and cheddar, wow, I would definitely love to try this!

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  5. YOWZA! This looks great - butternut squash is one of my faves, so I may have to make it STAT! :)

    http://eatrunread.blogspot.com/

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  6. I made this recipe last year around Thanksgiving and it's so well balanced, but I have to say yours looks far more beautiful than mine!

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  7. This has got to be a winner indeed... I've been mixing butternut with greens in risotto and pasta, but this bread pudding concoction takes it to another level...

    I'm sure it has almost no calories whatsoever, the greens remove them all ;-)

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  8. Put all my favorite things in a casserole and see if I can't resist it...It's probably a good thing Thanksgiving has passed and I won't have many excuses for making decadent dishes for a while. This really would be a perfect vegetarian entree and I can see it alongside eggs for brunch.
    Thanks for sharing!

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  9. The look alone has already so inviting.

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  10. yum, yum. I have a butternut squash waiting for inspiration and I think it now has the name of this dish on it :)

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  11. Totally delicious. I could dive into a plate of this!
    *kisses* HH

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  12. Lisa is cooking butternut-squash bread cooking, and I'm loving it! Absolutely! I love savoury bakes! YUM!

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  13. Oh my how did i ever miss this is in that issue of bon appetit! Usually I have a squash radar that goes off whenever I'm within five feet of a delicious squash recipe. This sounds awesome!

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  14. I can only imagine how wonderful this must be!!

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  15. Looks delish! I love a savory bread pudding almost as much as I love a sweet bread pudding. Last time I got on a bread making kick, I filled up the freezer with reject loaves. I have a feeling I'll be doing the same again. A savory bread pudding will be a great use for my baguette attempt if it goes bust.

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  16. I just took a class with Olaiya who is the person who developed this recipe with Molly. We made this very same pudding and then I made it for a post Thanksgiving brunch. I used Gruyere instead and more mustard. It was divine!

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  17. This looks incredible Lisa! I want to make it - right this very minute!

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  18. I may need to try the CSA box - seems some good stuff in there!

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  19. Great use of butternut squash and greens. I remember reading this article by Molly and thinking I would love to make this. You are right, these types of dishes are perfect for brunch and make a nice change from the egg/meat versions!

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  20. Mmm, Mmmmmm :) What a wonderful pairing of flavourings, butternut and greens go so beautifully together, love it.

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  21. I agree - I also really like squash and greens together. And a savory bread pudding - genius!

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  22. i can honestly say i've never considered using squash in a bread pudding, but it fits! i like the colors in play here--very seasonal. excellent post, lisa.

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  23. I agree. .never fail to satisfy my home-cooked meal cravings. This version looks especially tasty.

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  24. I agree - greens and butternut squash love each other - and I love them together, too. I've been doing a lot of things with butternut squash and Swiss chard, which is really easy to find over here, and the more I make, the more I want to do with them. This recipe sounds wonderful - and I love the cheddar idea, too. More orange = mo betta.

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  25. Butternut squash has always been a favourite of mine. It's so beautiful mixed with green and flavourful with cheddar together.

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  26. What a great recipe. I love using squashes in any recipes.

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  27. O that is such a great idea! I am so gonna buy another butternut squash!

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  28. So beautiful , it looks scrumptious!

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  29. Oh, Lisa what a fabulous recipe! I love squash and love finding recipes that are unique! I also love coming across vegetarian main courses! Perfect!

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  30. We don't often have bread puddings, but when we do, they're always sweet. Savory just seems like a better way to go.

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