Summer Fruit Pudding
| Published: 17th June 2008 20:00 |
I love summer fruit pudding, I have even been known to buy those bags of frozen berries and make one in the middle of winter, because I miss the wonderfully tart berry taste, soft yielding sweet fruit-soaked bread and of course the delicious mascarpone served on the side. So as summer is here make the most of those tasty berries!
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes (plus overnight standing time)
Ingredients
225g Redcurrants
100g Blackcurrants
100g Strawberries
450g Tayberries, (or if you can't get hold of tayberries use raspberries)
150g Caster sugar
7-8 medium slices white bread from a large loaf
Mascarpone (to serve)
1½ pint (850 ml) pudding basin
Method
1. Line your basin with cling film, this may seem silly now, but just wait until you turn it out.
2. Place the fruits with the sugar in a large saucepan over a medium heat and let them cook for about 3-5 minutes, only until the sugar has dissolved and the juices begin to ooze out, don't overcook or you'll spoil the fresh flavour. Remove the fruit from the heat and set aside. Strain the fruit through a sieve, do not press the fruit just let it drain, reserve the juice.
3. Cut the crusts off the bread and cut each slice into three large strips. Cut a circle of bread the same size as the bottom of the basin. Now dip the cut bread into the berries juice and line the bottom of the basin with this and then line the pudding basin with the strips of bread dipped in juice, overlapping them and sealing well by pressing the edges together. Fill in any gaps with small pieces of bread, so that no juice can get through when you add the fruit.
4. Gently tip in the fruit and remaining juice and then cover the pudding with another slice of bread dipped in juice.
5. Place a small plate or saucer that fits exactly inside the rim of the bowl on top, and on top of that place heavy weight, ( I use four or five of tins of beans)* and leave in the fridge overnight.
6. Pour off any juice that as seeped out under pressing. Turn out your perfect pudding onto a serving plate, cut into six generous wedges and serve with mascarpone.
* If your weight isn't heavy enough your pudding will be too loose and fall apart when you turn it out.
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