Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Asparagus, Ham, and Fontina Bread Puddings, and Hot Chocolate with Ginger

This is what we had for our Christmas breakfast. I figured we would be eating a little bit later in the morning, so I knew I would have enough time to throw it together. I made it in 8 little ramekins and cooked 6 in the water bath and 2 without the water bath, just to see what the difference was. The water bath definitely makes this more like a bread pudding and without it, it is more like a strata. Either way, it tasted really good. My husband absolutely loved these and that pretty much is a guarantee that anyone will like them.
The hot chocolate was a great way to start off the morning. It was very spicy and I wasn't sure if I liked it at first, but after a few more sips, I was sold. My family was a little divided, half of us really liked it, the other half, not so much. It was a fun breakfast anyway! Happy New Year's Eve- Have fun tonight!


Asparagus, Ham, and Fontina Bread Puddings from Cooking Light
1 pound asparagus
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
Cooking spray
5 (1.4-ounce) slices firm white sandwich bread (such as Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup chopped reduced-fat ham
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded fontina cheese
1 2/3 cups fat-free milk
3/4 cup egg substitute
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Preheat oven to 375°.
Cut a 3-inch tip from each asparagus spear, reserving the stalks for another use. Cut asparagus tips into 1/2-inch pieces.
Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; saute for 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add asparagus; cover and cook 4 minutes, stirring once. Remove from heat, and set aside.
Coat 6 (10-ounce) custard cups or ramekins with cooking spray; place in a large baking pan. Place bread cubes evenly into custard cups. Top evenly with asparagus mixture, ham, and cheese. Combine milk and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Pour evenly into custard cups; let stand 20 minutes. Add hot water to pan to a depth of 1 inch. Cover and bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Hot Chocolate with Ginger from Cooking Light
1/3 cup chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water
4 cups 1% reduced-fat milk
1/2 cup fat-free chocolate syrup
Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan; cook over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and is golden (about 5 minutes), stirring frequently.
Remove from heat; cool slightly. Stir in milk and syrup; cook over medium-low heat, stirring with a whisk. Heat to 180° or until tiny bubbles form around edge of pan, stirring frequently (do not boil). Strain mixture through a sieve; discard solids.


Coming Tomorrow- Pork Chops and Swiss Chard with Balsamic Syrup

9 comments:

Marie Rayner said...

HAPPY NEW YEAR Mary Ann!!! THose bread puddings look fabulous! So yummy. I think I would love this hot chocolate! I love ginger anything and ginger and chocolate together are heaven on earth to me! They go together so perfectly!

Jenny said...

My goodness girl, you are incredible! All of those recipes are awesome! I've got to make that fontina bread pudding, YUM!

Happy New Year to you and your Family!!

Maria said...

Savory bread pudding. I love it! Happy New Year!!

Prudy said...

That strata sounds heavenly and I love ginger everywhere I can get it. Yum! Have a very happy New Year!

Prudy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Melissa said...

Your bread puddings look great. And I could go for a cup of your hot chocolate right about now!

The Blonde Duck said...

It looks gorgeous! I would love to come to dinner at your house!

J.L. Danger said...

Happy New Year!

Sophie said...

What an amazing Christmas breakfast :)! I'm always the one to make breakfast, usually plain ol' pancakes, but I would love to wake up to this :),