Roasted Pepper Bread Pudding brings a new twist to pudding...

I've always heard of bread pudding being made for the sweet tooth. Wonderful bread puddings made with banana, raisins, cinnamon, and other sweets have always populated the recipe books. I got to thinking if there were any recipes for bread pudding that included vegetables or meats, bread puddings that would make wonderful appetizers or first courses. So I got to work and decided to come up with my own recipe for Roasted Pepper Bread Pudding. This was so easy that anyone could do it with their eyes closed. And the outcome turned wonderful. I know it was a crap shoot, but I had to try it. And now I want to share this with you. Perhaps you've heard of making bread pudding as an appetizer and if so, I'd would love to hear about the variations. Here's what mine contains:

10 slices of plain white bread, crust cut out
3 large roasted red and yellow peppers or
       1 16 oz jar of roasted peppers
1 large shallot, diced
1/4 cup of chopped parsley
1 1/2 cups of shreaded Gruyere or Swiss
2 to 3 cups of non sweet custard (I will tell you how to make it)
Salt and pepper to taste

That's all you need, it's very simple. Let's first get all the ingredients ready and prepared. With your hands, cut up the bread in one inch chunks. If you have old stale bread, this will be a great use for it. Set bread in a bowl. Dice your shallots and add to the bowl.  Chop your peppers into 1 inch by 1 inch pieces, add to the bowl. Shread your cheese and add 3/4 of it to the bowl. Save the rest to top during the final 20 minutes of baking. Be sure to preheat your oven to 350.

Now here's an easy and quick custard to make. This is so easy it's so silly!  Here's what you need:

2 1/2 cups of milk
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon of salt
dash of nutmeg

If you want a richer custard, use at least 2 percent or better in milk fat. Or if you wish, you can use 2 cups of milk and 1/2 cup of half and half. Heat the milk in the microwave on high for about 2 1/2 minutes. While the milk is heating, beat the eggs, salt, and nutmeg well in a bowl. Now, while still beating, add a small amount of the milk a little at a time. You don't want to have scrambled eggs, so adding a bit of the milk will keep the eggs from cooking. Slowly keep pouring the milk in while beating the mixture. Once all incorporated, add the liquid to the bread and again using your hands, mix everything well. Finally, add the parsley and mix into your pudding.

Now you will need a bread loaf pan for baking. Be sure to rub either butter or spray cooking spray at the bottom and around the sides of the pan. Pour the mixture into the pan and bake at 350 for about an hour, checking it at 15 minutes before done. During that final 15 minutes, sprinkle the remainder of the cheese over the top.

When your bread pudding is done, remove it out of the oven and allow it to cool for about 15 minutes. Carefully remove it from the pan after 15 minutes and slice it in 1 inch slices. You may pour some sauce over it if you wish. I love a bechamel sauce. Or if you wish, just a little melted compound butter made with butter and basil. I hope you like it. It is certainly a departure from what we are accustomed to with bread pudding. Enjoy.