Bacon Gruyere Bread Recipes

ARUGULA, BACON, AND GRUYèRE BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Butter a 2-qt shallow baking dish.
• Whisk together milk, cream, eggs, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large bowl.
• Cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp. Transfer with tongs to paper towels to drain, then coarsely crumble.
• Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. Increase heat to medium-high and cook shallot and garlic, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Gradually add arugula and cook, stirring, until it wilts.
• Stir arugula mixture, bacon, bread, and cheese into custard. Transfer to baking dish and cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake until golden in spots, about 10 minutes more.

STUFFED PUMPKIN (WITH BACON GRUYERE STUFFING)

Steps:

• Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper (see last step for stovetop instructions). Using a very sturdy knife, cut a cap out of the top of the pumpkin (like a Halloween jack-o'-lantern) by working your knife around the top in a circle at a 45 degree angle. Cut out a large enough cap to make it easy to work inside the pumpkin. Remove the seeds and strings from the cap and from inside the pumpkin. Season the inside of the pumpkin generously with salt and pepper and put it on the baking sheet.
• In a large bowl, toss the bread, cheese, garlic, bacon and herbs together. Season with salt and pepper to taste and pack the mixture into the pumpkin. The pumpkin should be well filled (you might have a little too much filling or you might need to add to it). In a small bowl, stir the cream and the nutmeg together, seasoning the mixture with salt and pepper, then pour it into the pumpkin (again, you might have too much or too little--the ingredients should not swim in cream but they should be nicely moistened).
• Put the cap in place and bake the pumpkin for 90 minutes. Remove the cap and return to the oven for another 20 to 30 minutes, until everything inside the pumpkin is bubbling and the flesh of the pumpkin is tender enough to be pierced easily with the tip of a knife. Remove the pumpkin very carefully (it will be heavy, hot and wobbly) and place it on the table or transfer it to a platter. To serve, either spoon out portions of the filling and pumpkin meat, or dig into the pumpkin meat with a large spoon and mix it into the filling before spooning out portions.
• You may also cook the pumpkin in a large Dutch oven and bring it directly to the table for serving.

BACON GRUYERE BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with foil. Set aside.
• Cut the bread into 1 inch thick slices, leaving them attached at the bottom.
• In a bowl combine the butter, onions and mustard. Spread this mixture on both sides of each slice of bread.
• Cut each cheese slice diagonally into triangles. Place one between each slice as well.
• Cut the bacon rashers in half lengthwise and then in half crosswise. You will then have 20 slices.
• Place the loaf on the foil lined baking sheet. Drape the bacon over top of the loaf, making sure there is a slice on each piece of bread.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp. Break the slices apart to serve.