Savory Bread Pudding

For Christmas I got the Rebar cookbook and I love it.

I made this this weekend for dinner - so good - Adam didn't love it but it had too much cheese for him to like it.

Ingredients
3 tbsp butter (omitted for Pam)
3 medium leeks, mostly whites
½ tsp salt
8 garlic cloves, minced
1½ lb assorted mushrooms (button, shiitake, oyster, portabello), sliced
Cracked pepper
½ cup Madeira (I used Sherry)
(I also added 3/4 pound of italian sausage for some meat and some spinach)

Custard
5 eggs
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup milk
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 x 1 lb multigrain or sourdough loaf, cut into ¾” cubes
2 tbsp thyme leaves
2 tbsp minced sage
4 cups grated Gruyère cheese (I used regular swiss because I wasn't paying $10.99 a pound for cheese!!!)
Minced chives for garnish

Preparation
Heat 1 Tbsp butter in a large skillet and sauté the leeks and garlic with a pinch of salt until the leeks are soft. Set aside, then melt the remaining butter in the pan. Add all of the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, cover and cook until the mushrooms have released their juices. Remove the lid and continue to cook until the mushrooms begin to sear. Deglaze with Madeira and let the liquid evaporate. Stir the mushrooms with leeks and set aside while you prepare the custard.Beat the eggs in a large bowl. (I just did the sausage and all veggies at the same time then added the Sherry)

Whisk in the cream, milk, salt and pepper. Stir in the bread cubes, cover and let stand for 1 hour. (Do this before you start the stove top stuff and then it will all be done at the same time!)
Stir occasionally to ensure that all the bread soaks evenly. Stir in the herbs, mushroom-leek mixture and half of the grated cheese.

Heat the oven to 350° F. Butter a 9” x 13” baking dish and spoon the bread pudding mixture into the pan. Sprinkle with reserved cheese and bake until crusty and golden brown and set in the middle (about 45 minutes). Sprinkle with minced chives. Let stand for several minutes, cut into square and serve hot.

**This is not a figure friendly meal with all of the cheese, eggs and cream!***