Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
• 1 pound of mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3 teaspoons Emeril's Original Essence or Creole Seasoning
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup lager beer
• 5 large eggs
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Gouda cheese
• 3/4 cup freshly grated white cheddar cheese
• 3/4 pound stale white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 10 cups). I used crusty white bread.
• 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon fine dried breadcrumbs

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large deep skillet over high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, until golden brown and tender, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons Essence, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring, until mushrooms are tender and have given off any liquid, 3 to 5 minutes. Add beer to deglaze pan and cook, stirring, until mixture is almost dry, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons Essence, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper until well combined. Add onion-mushroom mixture and cheeses; stir to combine. Add bread cubes and let stand until liquid is absorbed, about 2 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; add bread crumbs, shaking baking dish to coat. Pour egg mixture into baking dish and cover with parchment paper-lined aluminum foil. Transfer to oven and bake for 1 hour. Uncover and continue baking until pudding rises, is firm in the center and golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes more. Let cool slightly before serving.

Notes

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups of whipping cream
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons of finely grated lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 small loaf of cranberry/raisin foccacia, thinly sliced. If you can't find it, use any fruit bread and tear it into large pieces
• 1 cup of ricotta
• cinnamon sugar:
• 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons of white sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine 1/4 of cinnamon with 2 tablespoons of white sugar and set aside.
2. Gently heat cream in a medium saucepan until it just comes to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Place eggs, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest and cinnamon in a bowl and whisk until well combined. Gradually add warm cream, whisking until combined.
4. Place slices of focciacia into a greased miniature loaf pan (my slices fit right in). Top each slice with 1-2 tablespoons of ricotta and layer another piece of bread on top. Repeat and end with bread. If your bread doesn't fit, tear it into large pieces and layer with ricotta.
5. Pour cream mixture over each mini loaf pan until all bread is covered. Sprinkle with sugar mixture. Allow to stand for 5-10 minutes. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and set. Allow to stand for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with more sugar if you wish.