Chestnut Bread Pudding
This savory casserole is creamy, crispy, and full of delicious fall flavors! Makes one 8" square bread pudding.
The best recipes start with melted butter and sautéed aromatics, so that's how we'll begin our savory parmesan and Chestnut Bread Pudding!
Onion, leek, celery, and garlic get added to our melted butter. Oh man, if only you could smell this!
Meanwhile, secret ingredient #1 goes into a bowl with our lightly beaten eggs. (It's Thyme Oil Extract, only the most magical of herbs, thought to ward off nightmares back in the day.)
Milk and cream round out our custard base nicely.
Secret ingredient #2! Chestnut Puree adds savory depth while chicken broth helps smooth things out. We'll stir and heat until the thick Chestnut Puree has melted seamlessly with the onion/leek/celery mixture.
Remember our thyme infused milk mixture? Now we'll add the sautéed goodness to that bowl and give it a thorough whisk.
Ah, yes, the backbone of this whole operation: an entire loaf of French bread, cubed and toasted to perfection. There's a handful of chopped parsley and freshly grated parmesan in that bowl too. Pouring in our custard mix brings all the players to the party.
Fold together until the bread is evenly moistened; a dry bread pudding bite is too sad for words.
The entire mixture is baked for 40 minutes and then gets a final shower of cheese for a gorgeous, golden finish.
Here's the full recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 loaf french bread, cubed (about 8 cups)
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 cup white onion, diced small
- ½ cup leek, thinly sliced
- ½ cup celery, diced small
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- ½ cup Amoretti® Chestnut Puree
- 1 cup chicken broth, divided
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup cream
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp Amoretti® Thyme Oil Extract O.S.
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1 cup grated parmesan, divided
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 8" square pan
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325℉. Grease an 8" pan and set aside.
- Toast cubed bread for about 20 minutes to dry out completely, until slightly colored and crisp. Let cool, place in large bowl, and set aside.
- Melt butter in a large sauté pan. Cook onion, leek, garlic, and celery over medium heat until translucent and fragrant, 7-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add Chestnut Puree and ½ cup chicken broth to pan. Using a whisk or spatula, stir the mixture to break up the puree to make a smooth paste.
- In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cream, remaining ½ cup chicken broth, Thyme Oil Extract, salt, and pepper.
- Add the parsley and ½ cup of parmesan to the bowl with the toasted bread cubes.
- Whisk sautéed aromatics into the egg and cream mixture.
- Pour over bread and toss thoroughly to evenly moisten.
- Put entire mixture into prepared pan and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes while the oven preheats to 350°F.
- Bake for 40 minutes, then remove from oven.
- Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup of parmesan and bake for 10 more minutes, or until parmesan is golden. Let cool and set for at least 10 minutes before serving.
- Dig in!
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