Crowd-Pleaser
Photos and story by Meda Kessler
A savory bread pudding satisfies with a rich mix of greens and cheese
Guynell Whetstone’s job as district manager for California-based LangeTwins Family Winery and Vineyards often keeps her on the road. But when she’s at her Ridglea home, she enjoys cooking for friends. This summer, while working at a food and wine festival in Breckenridge, Colorado, she met a fellow vendor who tipped her off to Emeril Lagasse’s spinach-artichoke bread pudding recipe. “I made it as soon as I was back home,” says Whetstone, who tweaked it by adding roasted green chiles. “I cooked it as a side for steak night; it was a nice alternative to a potato side dish. It’s rich, but so good. I’ll definitely be serving this during the holidays.”
Savory Spinach, Artichoke and
Green Chile Bread Pudding
Makes 10-12 servings
- Extra-virgin olive oil, divided use
- 3 pounds spinach, washed, stems removed
- 2 cups chopped yellow onions
- 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped garlic
- Italian seasoning blend, salt, freshly ground pepper, divided use
- 2 (8½-ounce) cans artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
- 2 cups green chiles, stemmed, seeded and roasted
- 6 large eggs
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 12-14 cups 1-inch cubed day-old French bread
- 1 pound brie, rind removed, cut into ½-inch cubes
- ½ cup grated Parmesan, divided
- ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13 baking dish with olive oil. Cook spinach in a pot of boiling water until just wilted, about 30 seconds.
Drain and rinse with cold water. Squeeze water from spinach and coarsely chop. You should have about 3-4 cups.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Cook and stir for about 30 seconds. Add artichokes and chiles; cook and stir 2 more minutes. Remove from heat; reserve.
Combine eggs, cream, stock, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Add bread and mix well. Add spinach, artichoke-chile mixture, brie, ¼ cup Parmesan and parsley. Stir to combine.
Pour mixture into prepared dish, sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup Parmesan and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Bake until firm in the center and golden brown, about 1 hour. Serve warm.
