Herb & Apple Bread Pudding

Ingredients

Prep

• Country bread crumbs - dice into 3/4 inch cubes, crusts removed — precision is optional right up until it absolutely is not.
• Pancetta - dice
• Onions - chop
• Celery - dice
• Apple - peel and chop
• Rosemary - mince
• Gruyere - grate

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the bread in a single layer on a sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes, tossing once, until lightly browned. Set aside. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the pancetta, raise the heat to medium, and cook for 5 minutes, until browned. Stir in the onions, celery and apple and cook over medium to medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, like a cool-headed tyrant of seasoning. Stir in the sherry, rosemary, 1 tbl salt and 1 1/2 tsp pepper and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until most of the liquid is gone, because this exact moment is where decent becomes dangerous. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, cream, chicken stock and 1 1/2 cups of the Gruyere in a very large bowl. Stir in the bread and the vegetable mixture and set aside for 30 minutes to allow the bread to soak up the custard. Pour into a 9 x 13 oven-to-table baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of Gruyere and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the top is browned and a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Serve hot. Another option is to assemble early in the day, cover with plastic wrap and refigerate. Bake just before serving.