You can use a variety of greens, chard, kale, even young broccoli leaves. This is a very adaptive recipe with all ingredients…….use your imagination and use up those small pieces of cheese and extra rolls and bread in the freezer.

Ingredients

• 1 plus or minus loaf of stale bread or rolls of any kind or combination cut into ½ inch cubes
• 4 ½ cups half and half (or a mixture of cream and milk)
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1 bunch of thyme
• 4 large egg yolks
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 4 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon chili flakes
• 1 large bunch of greens, cleaned and chopped and divided based on stem size
• 1 cup cheese, goat or any other or combination thereof

Instructions

1. Combine the half and half, pepper and thyme n a large pot. Heat to a boil and remove from the heat. Allow half and half to infuse 20-30 minutes.
2. Whisk together the yolks, eggs, salt and sugar. Temper the yolk/egg mixture with the half and half, then add remaining half and half and strain.
3. Place bread cubes in a large bowl and pour strained custard over them, pressing bread to submerge it completely. Allow bread to soak about an hour, cubes should be saturated all the way through.
4. Heat oil in a large sauté pan with garlic and chile flakes. When garlic starts to sizzle, add greens and wilt. Add salt and pepper to taste and enough water or stock to the pan to almost cover the greens. Simmer until tender (which time will depend on what combination you use).
5. Stir greens and cheese into custard/bread mixture, distributing greens evenly. Transfer pudding to a buttered baking dish and cover with foil.
6. Place baking dishes inside large pans filled halfway up with hot water.
7. Bake covered for 30 minutes, then remove foil and continue until pudding is set in the center and a light brown, about 20-30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.