Requested Recipe from Sunday's Brunch

Several of you who attended our brunch on Sunday requested I post the bread pudding recipe here on the blog. And yes, after all, this blog was meant for things other than dog stories.
I made a couple changes to the recipe, which I will describe below:

Arugula, Bacon, and Gruyère Bread Pudding

Gourmet December 2008
by Gina Marie Miraglia Eriquez
(photo by: Romulo Yanes)

Here, we pepped up the fail-safe brunch combination of bacon, egg, and cheese by adding handfuls of flavorful sautéed arugula. They'll be jumping out of bed for this one.

Yield: Makes 4 (main course) or 6 (side dish) servings

Active Time: 20 min

Total Time: 1 hr

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream (I used 1 cup)

5 large eggs (I used 7)

6 bacon slices (I bought 8 slices good thick Applewood Bacon at Whole Foods)

1 large shallot, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves,chopped

7 ounces baby arugula or baby spinach (6 1/2 cups) (I used less and should not have)

6 cups cubed (1-inch) country-style bread (1 pound) (important that you use the right weight)

5 1/2 ounces Gruyère cheese, coarsely grated (1 1/2 cups)

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.