Recipe by Bon Appetite November 2006

1 1 pound loaf of crusty white bread
1/4 cup olive oil
4 teaspoons fresh thyme — chopped
1 large clove garlic — minced
6 tablespoons butter
1 pound assorterd fresh mushrooms — thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups onion — finely chopped
1 1/2 cups celery — thinly sliced
1 cup green pepper — finely chopped
1/3 cup fresh parsley — chopped
3 1/2 cups heavy cream
8 large eggs
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup parmesan cheese — finely grated

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Butter 13x9x2 inch glass baking dish.
Cut bottom crust and short ends off bread and discard. Cut remaining bread into 1-inch cubes (about 10 cups loosely packed).
place in large bowl. Add oil, thyme, and garlic; toss to coat. spread cubes out on large rimmed baking sheets. sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake until golden and slightly crunchy. return to same bowl.
Melt butter in large skillet over med. heat. Add mushrooms,onion, celery and bell pepper. Saute until soft and juices have evaporated. about 15 minutes.
Add suateed vegetables and parsley to bread cubes.
Whisk heavy cream, eggs, salt and pepper in large bowl.
Mix custard into bread and veg.
transfer to prepared dish. sprinkle with cheese.
bake uncovered in 350 oven for 1 hour or until pudding is set and top is golden brown. let stand 15 minutes.

Yield: 10 servings