Serving:  9

Ingredients

• Canola oil spray

• 1 Tbsp. canola oil

• 1 lb. assorted fresh mushrooms (e.g. crimini, button, stemmed shiitake),
  cleaned, stemmed and thinly sliced.

• 1 cup chopped onion

• 1/2 cup dried mushrooms (one variety or a mix of porcini, chanterelle and/or
  morel), soaked in warm water until soft, then squeezed dry.

• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon or  marjoram.

• 2 garlic cloves, minced, Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• 2 large eggs

• 3 egg whites

• 1 cup reduced-fat (2%) milk

• 1 cup fat-free, reduced-sodium beef broth

• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

• 12 slices stale, country-style bread (preferably whole-wheat), cubed

• 1/2-3/4 cup freshly-grated Gruyère cheese

• 1/2-3/4 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Lightly coat a 9-inch square baking dish with canola oil spray and set aside.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add fresh mushrooms and onion; sauté 3 minutes.  Add reconstituted dried mushrooms and sauté until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Mix in tarragon and garlic; season to taste with salt and pepper.  Transfer to medium bowl.

• In a large bowl, whisk eggs and egg whites together until well blended.  Gradually whisk in milk, broth, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper, to taste.

• Arrange an even layer of bread cubes over bottom of prepared dish.  Top with an even layer of first the mushroom mixture, then half the Gruyère, then half the Parmesan cheese.  Cover with remaining bread cubes.  (If desired, pudding and liquid mixture can be separately chilled at this point, covered, up to overnight, with liquid added just prior to baking.  Bring chilled pudding and liquid to room temperature before continuing to the next step.  Pudding can also be chilled up to overnight after the liquid mixture has been added, but with somewhat less satisfactory results.)

• Using a large spoon, gradually ladle in the egg/milk/broth mixture so that the bread cubes on top are moistened, waiting briefly for milk to start being absorbed by bottom layer of bread cubes before adding remaining liquid.  Press gently, if necessary, to submerge bread cubes.

• Just before baking, sprinkle remaining cheese evenly over top of bread pudding.  Bake, uncovered, in a preheated oven at 350 degrees until bread pudding puffs and top is golden brown, about 40 minutes.

Nutritional Information

• Per serving: 235

• Calories, 9 g.

• Fat (3 g. saturated fat), 27 g.

• Carbohydrate, 15 g.

• Protein, 5 g.

• Dietary fiber, 421 mg. sodium.