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1
Lightly butter or spray an 11 x 7 inch baking dish.
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2
Put the dried mushrooms in a small bowl; pour the boiling water over them; set aside until soft, about 10 minutes.
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3
Place a piece of paper towel in a sieve and drain the mushrooms over a small bowl, reserving the liquid.
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4
Rinse the mushrooms lightly and pat dry.
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5
In a big skillet, melt the butter over med-high heat; add the fresh mushrooms and onion; saute for 3 minutes, or until limp.
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6
Add the reconstituted dried mushrooms and continue sauteing until the mushrooms have given up their liquid and are nicely browned, about 10-12 minutes.
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7
Stir in the thyme and transfer the mushrooms to a bowl.
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8
In a big bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, reserved mushroom liquid, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, salt and pepper until well blended.
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9
Arrange half the bread cubes over the bottom of the prepared baking dish; top with the mushroom mixture and then layer with half of the cheese, then the remaining bread cubes, and the rest of the cheese.
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10
Using a ladle, gently pour the egg/milk mixture over the bread and mushroom mixture, being careful to cover all the bread cubes with the liquid.
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11
Press the bread cubes gently with the palm of your hand or the back of a spatula to immerse them, if necessary.
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12
At this point, you may cover the pudding with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
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13
When ready to bake--remove pudding from refrigerator and let come to room temperature.
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14
Position oven rack in middle position; preheat to 350; bake pudding until it is puffy and golden brown, or until a knife inserted near the edge comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
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15
Garnish w/ parsley and serve immediately.
