Summer Pudding

Summer Pudding

Summer pudding is a highlight of British cuisine. It is also one recipe that translates well to our Australian climate. Frozen berries work well too. This recipe can either be made as one large pudding or individual ones in small ramekins.

Serves: 6
Preparation time: 10 minutes + overnight resting
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 kg (2 lb) mixed berries, such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, boysenberries, youngberries, cranberries, mulberries
½ cup (4 oz) caster sugar
1–2 tablespoons water
12–14 slices day-old white bread

Method

1.  Pick over the berries and rinse with water. Cut any large berries, such as strawberries, into smaller pieces. Place in a saucepan with the sugar and water. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fruit softens, releasing their juice.
2. Remove the crusts from the bread. If you are making one large pudding, cut one slice into a circular shape to fit the bottom of a 1½ l (3 pint) pudding basin. Line the basin or individual ramekins with bread, trimming it so that it fits snugly. There should be some slices left to cover the fruit.
3. Ladle the fruit and enough juice to moisten the bread into the moulds, reserving a little of the juice. Cover with bread and weight the top with a plate plus something heavy on top. Leave at least overnight, or even for a couple of days.
4. Shortly before serving, unmould the puddings and baste any white patches of bread with the reserved juice. I have even frozen this pudding successfully!

Wine: As this is not overly sweet, a sparking rosé with a little residual sugar is delightful, or else a moscato will match well.

Recipe from Lyndey Milan. The Best Collection (New Holland 2009, 2013)