SAVORY BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• 1. adjust oven rack to middle position and heat the oven to 450°. Arrange bread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until browned, about 12 minutes, turning pieces over halfway through baking time. Remove the bread from the oven and let cool.
• 2. Reduce oven temperature to 350°. Butter a 13 x 9" baking dish. Whisk egg yolks, cream, milk, 1/2 cup Parmesan, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Add toasted bread and toss until evenly coated.
• 3. Let mixture sit until bread softened it begins to absorb custard, about 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. If the majority of the bread is still too hard after 30 minutes, let it soak for another 15 to 20 minutes.
• 4. Pour half of the bread mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with 1/4 cup more Parmesan cheese. Pour remaining bread mixture into the dish and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake until custard is just that, about one hour, rotating dish halfway through baking time.Remove bread pudding from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 6 to 8.
• 5. savory bread pudding with spinach and feta: follow the recipe for the savory bread pudding, omitting Parmesan cheese. Stir 10 ounces of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry, add 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled, about 1 cup, into egg yolk mixture. Savory bread pudding with bacon and onion: cook six slices of bacon, cut into 1/4 inch pieces in 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until well browned, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate, leaving the fat in the skillet area stir one onion, halved and sliced thin, and 1/2 teaspoons salt into the skillet, cover, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion softens and releases moisture, about 10 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring often, until onion begins to Brown, about six minutes. Follow the recipe above for the savory bread pudding, sprinkling bacon and onion slices over first layer of bread with Parmesan.