Baby Spinach And Garlic Bread Pudding

My darling boy is back from a week at my MIL. He loves crab legs, so I got some for him. To go with them I thought this would be a great side as it is a starch and a veggie. It wasn't exactly what I think of as a savory bread pudding. It was more of a savory custard with a bread toping; it was kind of like cobbler. All the oddity aside, it was a very delicious dish. It won't reheat to the same dish because the crispy topping will soften, but I still think it will be tasty tomorrow for breakfast;). It would also make a good vegetarian main dish. A little bit of work; cutting up the baguette is what I'm thinking of. I also chopped the spinach after cooking it.

Baby Spinach And Garlic Bread Pudding

2 T  unsalted butter
15    ounces baby spinach,stems removed
2 T  water
1    small garlic clove,minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 lb French baguette,crusts removed, bread cut into 1/4-inch
2    large eggs
3/4 c  heavy cream
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1. Preheat the oven to 325. Butter a 6-cup souffl dish or other deep
baking dish. In a large skillet, melt 1/2 tablespoon of butter over
moderately high heat. Add the spinach, water and garlic, season with
salt and pepper and stir a few times. Cover and cook the spinach until
it wilts, about 2 minutes.
2. Set a colander over a bowl and drain the spinach; press very
lightly on the spinach to extract 1/4 cup of liquid. Spread out the
spinach on a rimmed baking sheet to cool.
3. Heat the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet.
Add the diced bread and cook over moderate heat until browned on the
bottom, about 3 minutes. Stir and continue to cook until the croutons
are crisp all over, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer the croutons to a
plate to cool.
4. In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the cream, reserved spinach cooking
liquid, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/8 teaspoon of pepper and the nutmeg.
Stir in the spinach and pour the mixture into the prepared souffl dish.
Spread the fried croutons evenly over the top.
5. Set the souffl dish in a roasting pan and pour enough hot water
into the pan to reach one-third of the way up the side of the souffl
dish. Bake the bread pudding for 35 to 40 minutes, or until set. Let
the pudding cool slightly, then serve directly from the souffl dish or
invert it onto a platter and serve.
Make Ahead The recipe can be prepared in advance through Step 3.
Refrigerate the spinach, and store the croutons in an airtight
container,  overnight.