We are in full strawberry season here, and the raspberries will soon be in, and because of the unclement weather the cherries are late .... so what do I think of with all these red berries? ... summer pudding!
Summer pudding is divine!
There is simply no denying the fact. And to make it even better, it is ridiculously easy to make, providing you remember to make it the day before you need to eat it.
There are many recipes out there, but this is how I make mine, working on a 2 pint or 1 litre pudding bowl or 8 individual moulds.
You need 800 grammes or nearly 2 pounds of mixed red fruit. I like to use blackberries, redcurants, raspberries, redcurrants, cherries ...) When it is difficult to find everything fresh and ripe at the same time, it is OK to use some fresh and some frozen. I actually freeze red fruit from the garden specifically for this recipe.
Put all the red fruit together in a pan, making sure there are no stalks left on the fruit. Sprinkle about 200 grammes or 7 ounces of sugar over the fruit and heat gently until the juices of the fruit begin to run. Heat gently until the fruit starts to simmer, let them simmer for a couple of minutes then turn off the heat and let the fruit cool down. You only cook the fruit for it to be soft, you don't want it to taste 'cooked'.
Once the fruit is completely cool, line your pudding bowl with medium cut slices of white bread without the crusts. I try to get a good quality loaf for this, it definitely makes a difference to the flavour, in fact I often make it with slices of brioche.
Overlap the slices slightly so the bowl is completely lined , pour the fruit into the centre, reserving about a cup of the deep red juice. Cover the fruit with a 'lid' of bread, and place a clean saucer on the top. Pop the bowl on a plate into the fridge, with a weight on the top. You want the red juices to seep through the bread, so when it is turned out the next day, there is no white bread showing.
Leave this in a frideg overnight, and when you turn the pudding out to serve, remember you have that cup of juice to hand to 'colour' any little patches of bread.
Some people like to serve this dessert with cream, personally I prefer without, but that - I am sure - you will decide for yourselves!
And if you prefer to make individual puddings which always look so pretty on a plate, then just use the same method but in little ramekins instead of a larger bowl
Bon appetit and thank you for reading me!
Photos thanks to the Telegraph and to the BBC
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