Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding - veggies: swap your stroganoff for this

It's that time of year that when walking the dog you cannot help but notice the proliferation of fungi in the woods and fields and if you know what you are doing you can literally have a field day with some of the wonderful wild varieties growing out there. But, I always err on the side of caution and never pick wild mushrooms for fear of a potential poisoning! Anyway, this recipe uses the good old dried porcini variety and a few shiitake and button mushrooms - all types that are readily available in your supermarket or grocery shop. There is something about the texture and flavour of mushrooms that provide a 'meaty -satisfying' substitution for meat that non-vegetarians will often appreciate.

The recipe for Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding can be found in Susan Spaull's Ideal Home Entertaining (1999) page102  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ideal-Home-Entertaining-Susan-Spaull/dp/075221750X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350386646&sr=8-1. I love this book. I've had it for years and I often turn to it when I want inspiration for a dinner party menu. Some of my favourite recipes are the Sweet Chilli Sea Bass page 96 - an elegant and simple main course; Grilled Goat's Cheese With Gooseberry Chutney page 25 - my favourite starter ever!!! What about the exceedingly tasty Dill Blinis With Mustard Creme Fraiche page39. A nice touch to this book is that many of the recipes come with wine recommendations, so why not try serving a Sancerre with the goat's cheese or an Australian Chardonnay with the sea bass? Surprisingly for me, I've never made any of the puddings or cakes and tarts in this book. That's not to say they don't look very exciting as there are definitely contenders in there waiting to be created! For example the White Chocolate and Mint Cheesecake on page 132 looks incredibly light and refreshing; Strawberry Tiramisu, page 138 is making me yearn for summer likewise the Sanguinello Sorbet page 164. Anyway, enough of my drooling, here's my next recipe:

Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding on a bed of wild rocket

Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding (copyright 1999 Susan Spaull)

Serves 8 as an accompaniment or starter

15g dried porcini mushrooms
55g butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
110g shiitake mushrooms
110g button mushrooms
Butter for greasing
140g slightly stale white bread
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
55g walnuts, chopped
4 medium eggs, beaten
290ml single cream
290ml milk
salt and ground black pepper

Porcini soaking in boiling water

Sweating the veg

Cooking the mushrooms

1. Place the porcini mushrooms in a small bowl and pour over 100ml of boiling water. Place to one side.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the onion and celery. Place a piece of damp greaseproof paper on the vegetables and cover with a lid. Cook over a low heat for 15 minutes or until soft. Remove lid an d paper.
3. Slice the fresh mushrooms then add to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes until tender, then set aside.
4. Butter a 1 litre flan dish. Discard crusts from the bread, then cut into small cubes. Place in flan dish and sprinkle with the herbs and walnuts.

Cubed bread

Chopped herbs and walnuts

5. Combine the eggs, cream and milk. Remove the porcini from the water and add to the vegetables. Add the procini water to the cream mixture, ensuring you leave any grit in the bowl. Season well.

6. Stir the vegetables in to the bread, then pour the egg mixture over the top. Leave to stand for 30 minutes or cover with cling film and chill for up to 24 hours.

Ready to bake

7. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees centigrade and bake for 30 minutes or until the eggs are set. Brown under the grill for 2 minutes if desired.

Ready to be served as our starter

Noteworthy points: I found it took more like 45 minutes in my oven rather than 30 minutes. Also there seemed to be rather a lot of liquid so I ended up leaving some in the bowl as the flan dish would have overflowed. In terms of serving this as a starter, there was rather a lot! It would certainly make an ideal lunch or after-work supper. The flavours were good and this should satisfy veggies and meat-eaters alike.

In the pipe-line: as promised some more kids' cookery but very soon a tasty Thai chicken stir fry courtesy of the great Ken Hom.