From A Past Edition Of The New Orleans Menu Daily By Tom Fitzmorris Savory Bread Pudding with Mushrooms This is at its best with meaty, wild-tasting mushrooms: portobellos, criminis, shiitakes, chanterelles, porcinis, etc. The best cheeses are the ones that melt well and have an interesting tang: Gruyere, Fontina, Swiss, Provolone, mozzarella. (If you use the latter two, use a little Parmesan, too.) 3 cups half-and-half 8 eggs, beaten 1 tsp. Worcestershire 1/4 tsp. Tabasco 1/4 tsp. salt 1 Tbs. butter 18 inches of a loaf of stale French bread 1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms 3/4 cup thinly sliced green onions 1 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere, Fontina, or other easy-melting white cheese Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. 1. Combine the half-and-half, eggs, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and salt in a bowl and blend well. 2. Slice the bread into thin (about 1/4 inch) slices. Butter the inside of a  baking dish or casserole. Place a layer of bread along the bottom. Sprinkle one-third each of the cheese, mushrooms, and green onions over the bread. Pour one-fourth of the milk-egg mixture over this, enough to soak it well. Push down gently until the bread is soaked. 3. Repeat the layers in the same order as above, following with a dousing of liquid. Finish with a layer of bread and the last of the liquid. 4. Place the baking dish in a pan of warm water and put the entire assembly into the preheated oven. Bake for an hour and 15 minutes at 300 degrees. Let it cool for at least a half-hour before serving. It can be sliced, but it’s perfectly fine to spoon it right out of the dish at the table. Serves eight. Click here for an index of recipes from past editions. © 2008 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com