Bread Pudding for Dinner??

For today, the first day of my experiment, I decided to make Savory Bread Puddings with Ham and Cheddar, from the September 2011 issue of Cooking Light magazine.

So, here's the recipe:

8 ounces multigrain bread with seeds, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

• Cooking spray
• 3/4 cup  shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided  
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions, divided
• 3/4 cup fat-free milk* 
• 1/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth** 
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper***
• 3 ounces lower-sodium ham, minced****
• 2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 3 large egg whites
• 4 teaspoons reduced-fat sour cream
• *I used 1% milk because.....that's what I had.
• **My grocery store was out of low sodium broth, but it was 99% fat free, so that's close enough, right?
• ***I didn't actually measure 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.  Would you?
• ****Does lower-sodium ham actually exist?  I couldn't find it, but of the 3 brands of diced ham I found, I got the one with the least amount of sodium, so technically it was lower sodium.
• 
  
• Instructions

• 1. Preheat oven to 375°.
• 2. Place bread cubes on a rimmed cookie sheet and spray with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted, turning once. Remove from oven; cool.
• 3. Combine bread, 1/2 cup cheese, 3 tablespoons onions, and next 5 ingredients (through egg yolks) in a large bowl. Place egg whites in a small bowl, and beat with a mixer at high speed until foamy (about 30 seconds). Gently fold egg whites into bread mixture.
• 4. Spoon about 1 cup bread mixture into each of 4 (7-ounce) ramekins coated with cooking spray. Divide the remaining 1/4 cup cheese and remaining 1 tablespoon onions evenly among ramekins. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Top each serving with 1 teaspoon sour cream.

So, my first recipe turned out really good!  It's definitely a make again. I love regular (dessert) bread pudding, so I figured I'd like a savory one too.  Speaking of bread pudding, it always seems funny to me that soggy bread can turn into something I actually want to eat! I wasn't quite sure how I'd feel about the bread with all the seeds, but I liked the texture it added to the dish.

As soon as I figure out how to get the pictures I took from my phone to the blog, I'll put them up.  If I can't figure it out, then I'll try to find my camera for next time!


I'll be back with more next week.  Or maybe sooner!