For some reason, it was apparently colder in CA than it was here on the East Coast, this Christmas. It’s been raining like crazy, the fields were soaked in water and there were many moments that I almost slipped and broke my behind in the muck when I went to visit the mules and animals on the farm. M’s mom loves her animals and raises goats that she milks herself to make goat milk soap. A couple of years ago, she taught me how to milk a goat, it’s an interesting experience! I don’t even know how to describe it. They now have two donkeys and they protect the goats from coyotes! I had no idea donkeys could scare coyotes off.  Christmas morning, I baked a batch of popovers from Bon Appetit Christmas issue and some cheddar biscuits with herbs. Basically, we’ve been eating constantly every day. There is no rest for the tummy when we go to visit family. I think it is the general theme of our family vacations for both of us as we don’t visit that them often so our trip transforms into a daily request of all our favorite dishes that we’ve missed.   On one morning, I baked a kale and sausage bread pudding with M’s mom. So here she is cooking with me in the kitchen and we’re cooking a savory bread pudding (in many ways this is also a casserole).  I’m also giving away this gorgeous baking dish from Le Creuset! All you need to do is a leave a comment and tell me what you want to cook in it and I will pick a randomwinner! The contest is only open to legal US residents and ends on January 3rd 2016 at 12 pm. Have an amazing New Year friends!!! Here are some kitchen tips that you might find useful when preparing this dish;

I added less salt than I normally would since the sausage I used was heavily seasoned. Adjust your salt amounts if you know that how the sausage will taste. I prefer to stick to the lower amount because you can always sprinkle a little salt later over the pudding when serving. Use whatever type of kale or bread you like. Mustard greens and chard leaves will also work well in this recipe. 

kale and sausage bread pudding yields: 2 servings ingredients 2 1/2 cups whole-wheat or rye bread country style, diced into 1″ cubes 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup cooked Italian breakfast sausage (I used spicy pork) 2 cups whole milk 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon kosher sea salt 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground 1 cup packed kale leaves, torn (midrib discarded) 5 fresh sage leaves, julienned

  1. Place a wire rack at midlevel in the oven and preheat to 375F. Take a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper. Mix the cubes pieces of bread along with the olive oil in a large mixing bowl. Spread this out on the lined baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until the bread is browned and crispy. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack. 
  2. Take a medium-sized skillet and heat on medium-high heat. Crumble the sausage and cook until the sausage is completely cooked and lightly browned.  Drain the fat and keep the sausage aside. 
  3. Lightly butter a 1 quart oval baking dish and keep aside. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the milk, eggs, baking powder, salt, cayenne pepper and black pepper. Fold in the kale, sage, and sausage. Carefully fold in the toasted croutons. Pour the mixture into the baking dish, lightly wrap with cling film and refrigerate for 45 minutes to 1 hour. 
  4. Place a wire rack at midlevel in the oven and preheat to 400F. Remove the cling film and bake the pudding for 30 to 35 minutes until the center is firm to touch. A knife should come out clean from the center of the bread pudding. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack. Serve warm.  Disclaimer: Thank you to Le Creuset for sponsoring this giveaway. All opinions expressed are purely my own. I’m such a sucker for bread pudding. Everyone is like “Stuffing stuffing stuffing!” and I think they’re all missing out on an opportunity to make something truly special. Beautifully done! So, yeah, first thing I’d probably bake in it is a savory bread pudding… then I’d move on to mac and cheese. 🙂 Hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season! Cheers and Happy New Years! As for what I would cook should I win the LeCreuset bakeware, aside from this delicious bread pudding, perhaps a winter apple crisp with bits of ginger, garnished with pomegranate seeds….. Have a very Happy New Year. D summerdaisy.net Comment * Name * Email * Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

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