Summer pudding
A classic pudding for our glorious British summer!! I’m writing this whilst listening to rain pelting down on the roof, and after having visited the local market where the stall traders are pouring gallons of water from their tarpaulin covers!! So why not celebrate by making the perfect pudding for summer.
The Recipe Story
It is a little bit late for the fresh blackcurrants and redcurrants but you can easily make this pudding with frozen fruits too, in fact its a really great way of using up frozen fruit. I always put raspberries as the majority fruit in this and my late summer raspberries are just ripening now.
This was a pudding that my Mum always made for us, and was eagerly awaited as you have to make it a day in advance- we all loved it and could barely wait for it to be ready. I have also frozen the summer pudding and as long as you defrost it unwrapped on a plate it comes out perfectly- so you can continue to enjoy our wonderful soft fruits all year round!
Ingredients
350g summer fruits, (I used 200g raspberries, 75g redcurrants, 75g blackcurrants) you can use frozen if you have some.
80g caster sugar
6 slices medium cut white bread
12cm diameter glass or plastic bowl
Method
- Place the berries in a saucepan with the sugar. If you have time, leave to draw out the juices for 2 hours. If using frozen fruits allow to thaw- with frozen fruits you will get a bit more juice.
- Bring slowly to the boil, stir carefully so as not to break up the fruit, simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the crusts from your slices of bread, roll them out with a rolling pin so they are very thin.
- Cut a circle just a little bigger than the base of your bowl. Cut the remaining bread into triangles .
- Dip the circle of bread in the juices of the fruit and press into the base of the bowl. Cover the sides of the bowl with the triangles of bread having dipped them in to the juices as well. Make sure there are no gaps and allow the bread to hang over the sides of the bowl, you will use these bits to cover the top of your pudding.
- If the cooked fruit is very juicy pour into a sieve and collect the juices in a bowl. This is usually if you have used frozen fruit. Spoon the fruit into the bread lined bowl.
- Use the overhanging pieces of bread to cover the top of the pudding. Don’t worry about making this look pretty as it will eventually be the bottom of the pudding. Just make sure there are no gaps, if necessary use a little more bread.
- Place a saucer on top of the pudding, right on top of the bread, and place something heavy on top. This will press the pudding and allow you to be able to turn it out.
- Put the pressed pudding on a tray or dish to catch any juices that may seep out and refrigerate overnight.
- The next day remove the weight and saucer and gently use a knife to ease the bread away from the sides of the bowl, make sure you get to the bottom and ease that away too.
- Place a plate on the bowl and turn the pudding over, give it a gentle shake and it should fall out onto the plate.
- Serve chilled with some extra fruit and lots of double cream!