Hi! I hope you’re having a great week so far!
I was inspired recently by the beautiful leeks at the grocery and decided to bring them home and figure out later what I would whip them into. In looking for inspiration I turned to my old friend Ina. Ina Garten (who doesn’t know we’re friends, but trust me, we are.) is a constant source of inspiration for me. I have read all of her cookbooks and watch her on TV and just love her gentle, kind spirit. She is an excellent teacher and when I’m watching her, I really feel like we’re two friends hanging out in the kitchen. Ina has a recipe for Leek Artichoke Bread Pudding and when I found it, I knew THAT was the dish I would put my spin on.
I don’t use them often but when I cook with leeks, I’m reminded why. They are in the onion family, but are much milder in flavor than a red, yellow or white onion. I don’t typically cook with onion at all because it upsets my husband’s stomach, but thankfully leeks are ok and I basically use onion powder in everything else!
This is a dish you don’t want to be in a hurry to make. It takes prep time and oven time, but it’s absolutely worth the effort!! I’m already planning to make this dish for Thanksgiving! I know, I know…it’s too early to think about the holidays, but I can’t help it. This is a special occasion kind of dish! As soon as I tasted it, I knew I HAD to share this with friends and family!
How to Cut and Clean a Leek
If you’ve never worked with a leek before, you should know that they tend to harbor dirt and sand, so it’s important to soak them and get that all out of the nooks and crannies. No one wants to bite into beautiful, delicious food and feel like their eating sand. If you’ve never cut or cleaned a leek, here is a tutorial that will have you on your way quickly. It’s a super easy process that you just can’t skip. There is dirt hiding in those beauties, I promise!
All About this Savory Bread Pudding
This leek, artichoke, and gruyere bread pudding is savory and loaded with flavor and earthiness from the herbs, leeks, and artichokes. Ina used a different cheese in her recipe, but I just love the flavor of gruyere! It’s nutty and slightly salty and melts perfectly in any dish, but I love this particular combination with the vegetables and bread.
This dish will fit in beautifully on any holiday or special occasion table. It’s a wonderful side dish and will feed approximately 8 adults. Of course, I’m not judging if you want to have it all to yourself on a lazy Sunday and save the rest for leftovers all week! Maybe add a side salad and a glass of the pinot grigio you used in the recipe and you’re good to go! It was really delicious on day two, but it didn’t last in our fridge longer than that. I hope you like it just as much as I do! 🙂
Thank you for stopping by MyBusy Kitchen and thank you for cooking my recipes! I hope you give this one a try and let me know how it turns out! Tag @_mybusykitchen #mybusykitchen on Instagram so I can check out what you’ve created!! – Tiffany
- 8 cups french bread (1 large loaf), cut into 1″ cubes
- 3 oz prosciutto
- 3 large leeks, thinly sliced
- 10 oz artichoke hearts, jar or frozen, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (drink the rest of the bottle with dinner!)
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups half and half
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 8 oz gruyere cheese, grated
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and get out all ingredients. Having everything accessible will make this process run smoothly!
-
Cut your large loaf of french bread into 1″ pieces and place on baking sheet. You should have around 8 cups.
-
Cover another baking sheet in parchment paper and lay prosciutto out flat.
-
Place both the bread and prosciutto in the oven for 15 minutes. Toss the bread halfway through so it toasts evenly. When complete, set aside.
-
Thinly slice the leeks and soak in a large bowl of water to get rid of the dirt and sand that is hiding in the leeks. The dirt will fall to the bottom of the bowl and you can scoop the leeks off the top of the water. Drain on a paper towel.
-
In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter and then add the leeks. Cook for 10 minutes, moving around in the pan every couple of minutes.
-
Add the wine, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper and cook for 5 minutes. The wine will be nearly evaporated and the leeks will be tender. Your kitchen smells SO GOOD right now!
-
Remove from the heat and add the artichoke hearts, bread, thyme and rosemary to the pot and toss to combine. Set aside.
-
In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, half and half, chicken stock, nutmeg and 1 tsp salt.
-
Lightly grease a 9×13″ baking dish and add half of the bread mixture.
-
Sprinkle half of the grated gruyere cheese on top and add remaining bread mixture over the cheese.
-
Pour the half and half mixture over the bread and top with remaining cheese. Lightly press on the bread so it’s soaking in the liquid as much as possible.
-
Crumble the prosciutto and sprinkle over the top.
-
Bake for 45-55 minutes until the custard is set and the bread is puffed and toasted. Mine took 50 minutes, but ovens vary so watch closely.
-
Serve warm and enjoy!
You may also like my Cast Iron Gruyere Scalloped Potatoes!
I’ve never had a leek and did not think I would like them but this recipe is to die for. Wow. So good with just about anything including pretzels. Yes, I dip pretzels in everything I make. Haha. Thanks for the recipe!