Ham & Cheese Bread Pudding

Preparation time: 20 minutes + overnight chilling
Cooking time: 45 minutes - 1 hour
Makes: one 8-inch bread pudding

Ingredients

1loaf baguette (about 200g), cut into 1-inch cubes
150 gchicken ham, slice into 1cm dice
100 gbaby spinach
1red pepper, deseed, cut into 1.5cm dice
20 gfresh chives, finely sliced
7QL Omega eggs
1½ cupwhole milk
½ cupsour cream
2 tspEnglish mustard
70 gcheddar cheese, grated
70 gparmesan cheese, grated
½ tspsalt
½ tspblack pepper
1 tbspolive oil
Garnish:
2 tbspparmesan cheese
2 tbspcheddar cheese
10 gparsley, for garnish (optional)

Method

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat, and pan-fry spinach until wilted. Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper, and cook until all excess liquid has evaporated from the pan. Remove from heat and set aside.
  2. In the same pan, stir-fry peppers for 3-5 minutes with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs, milk, sour cream, salt and pepper until well combined. Then add chives, Parmesan and cheddar cheese and mix until well incorporated.
  4. Pour egg mixture over cubed baguette and stir well. Then, stir in wilted spinach, red peppers, and sliced ham, and mix until well incorporated. Refrigerate mixture overnight or for at least 1 hour, until all the egg mixture is soaked into the bread.
  5. Pre-heat oven to 170°C, butter a 8-inch cake tin / spring form pan and line with parchment paper.
  6. Transfer bread mixture into the cake tin, press down to compress the bread pudding mixture slightly and scatter on the remaining cheese. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the bread pudding is well-risen, golden brown on top, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. If skewer comes out wet, continue baking in 3 - 5 minutes increments until fully cooked. Cover top with a sheet of aluminum foil if necessary to avoid burning the top.
  7. Cool on a wire rack before slicing. Garnish with parsley if using.

 

QL Chef’s Tips:

  • Bread pudding batter can be assembled 1 day ahead, covered and chilled. Increase baking time by 10-15 minutes if bread pudding is cold when it goes into the oven.
  • Add stir-fried mushrooms or leeks to elevate this bread pudding recipe!

 

QL Omega & QL Deli Fresh eggs are available at major hypermarkets and supermarkets. For more information on QL Eggs, click here.

 

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