As delicious as Ina’s Tuscan turkey was, the star of Thanksgiving was her Herb & Apple Bread Pudding. I halved the recipe, but it still made enough to serve about six people, if not more! As we live down the road from Gruyere, it seemed fitting to incorporate it into our Swiss Thanksgiving. This dish is an absolute salty sweet mélange of wonderful flavor, better than any traditional stuffing. I’m already planning that for next holiday, I’ll sub the pancetta for sausage for even more of a one dish wonder.

Note to chef, keep an eye on the bread pudding so the edges don’t get too brown, a bit like the image below. A piece of foil placed on top the last twenty minute of baking should solve the problem.

Ina’s Herb & Apple Bread Pudding

• 4 c. country white brad, cut into 3/4″ cubes
• 2 T. butter
• 2 oz. pancetta, diced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 ribs of celery, diced
• 1 Granny Smith apple, diced
• 1/4 c. Port
• 1 T. fresh rosemary, minced
• 1/4 c. fresh, chopped parsley
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 c. heavy cream
• 3/4 c. chicken broth
• 1.5 c. grated Gruyere

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Place bread on a baking sheet and bake about 20 minutes, until crispy, tossing once at the midway point. Set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add pancetta and sautee about 5 minutes, until browned.
4. Add onion, celery, and apple, and saute another 8 minutes or so until softened.
5. Stir in the Port and rosemary.
6. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley.
7. At the same time, in a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, and 1 cup of the Gruyere.
8. Once cooled, add the bread and onion mixture to the egg mixture. Stir until all is coated and allow to absorb for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to ensure bread is evenly absorbing the liquid.
9. Pour into a baking dish, cover, and refrigerate until ready to bake. This can be prepared early in the day.
10. When ready to bake, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of Gruyere.
11. Preheat oven to 350F and bake about 50 minutes. If edges are becoming too brown, cover with foil after about 30 minutes.