Summer Pudding Recipes

Steps:

• The day before you plan to serve the pudding, line a 2 quart mixing bowl with plastic wrap. Line the plastic wrap with the white bread slices, trimming to fit so that the pieces fit together neatly. Save enough bread to cover the top of the pudding.
• In a saucepan, combine the apple juice concentrate and all the berries. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until the strawberries begin to soften, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat immediately.
• Stirring, dissolve the gelatin in the water, then add the mixture to the berries and stir to combine. Spoon into the bread-lined bowl. Cover with remaining bread slices, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and slightly weight it down. Chill overnight.
• When ready to serve, whip the cream with an electric mixer at high speed until it forms soft peaks.
• Remove the pudding from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap. Carefully turn the pudding out onto a platter, remove the bowl and the plastic wrap. Serve in slices with whipped cream on top.

Steps:

• Bring out the juices: Wash fruit and gently dry on kitchen paper - keep strawberries separate. Put sugar and 3 tbsp water into a large pan. Gently heat until sugar dissolves - stir a few times. Bring to a boil for 1 min, then tip in the fruit (not strawberries). Cook for 3 mins over a low heat, stirring 2-3 times. The fruit will be softened, mostly intact and surrounded by dark red juice. Put a sieve over a bowl and tip in the fruit and juice.
• Line the bowl with cling film and prepare the bread: Line the 1.25-litre basin with cling film as this will help you to turn out the pudding. Overlap two pieces of cling film in the middle of the bowl as it's easier than trying to get one sheet to stick to all of the curves. Let the edges overhang by about 15cm. Cut the crusts off the bread. Cut 4 pieces of bread in half, a little on an angle, to give 2 lopsided rectangles per piece. Cut 2 slices into 4 triangles each and leave the final piece whole.
• Build the pud: Dip the whole piece of bread into the juice for a few secs just to coat. Push this into the bottom of the basin. Now dip the wonky rectangular pieces one at a time and press around the basin's sides so that they fit together neatly, alternately placing wide and narrow ends up. If you can't quite fit the last piece of bread in it doesn't matter, just trim into a triangle, dip in juice and slot in. Now spoon in the softened fruit, adding the strawberries here and there as you go.
• Let flavours mingle then serve: Dip the bread triangles in juice and place on top - trim off overhang with scissors. Keep leftover juice for later. Bring cling film up and loosely seal. Put a side plate on top and weight down with cans. Chill for 6 hrs or overnight. To serve, open out cling film then put a serving plate upside-down on top and flip over. serve with leftover juice, any extra berries and cream.

Steps:

• Place fruit in saucepan with sugar and cook gently for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Line pudding basin with slices of bread, leaving no gaps. Fill with fruit, cover the top with more bread, to form lid. Cover with saucer and put weights on top, to press the bread down. Refrigerate for 12 hours or overnight. Turn out onto serving plate spoon over extra juice to cover any white part still showing. Serve with clotted cream or ice cream.

Steps:

• Combine the strawberries, sugar, and 1/4 cup of water in a medium saucepan and cook uncovered over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add 2 half-pints of raspberries and all the blueberries and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches a simmer. Cook for one minute. Off the heat, stir in the remaining raspberries and the framboise.
• Slice the bread in 1/2-inch-thick slices and remove the crusts. In the bottom of a 7 1/2-inch round by 3-inch high souffle or baking dish, ladle about 1/2 cup of the cooked berry mixture. Arrange slices of bread in a pattern (this will become the top when it's unmolded) and then add more berry mixture to saturate. Continue adding bread, cutting it to fit the mold, and berries. Finish with bread and cooked berries, using all of the fruit and syrup.
• Place a sheet of plastic wrap loosely over the pudding. Find a plate approximately the same diameter as the inside of the mold and place it on top. Weight the mold with a heavy can and refrigerate. Remove the weight after 6 to 8 hours. Cover the pudding with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Just before serving, run a knife around the outside of the pudding and unmold it upside down onto a serving plate. Serve in wedges with rum whipped cream.
• Whip the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When it starts to thicken, add the sugar, vanilla, and rum. Continue to whip until it forms stiff peaks. Serve cold.

Steps:

• Line the bottom of a 2- to 2 1/2-quart bowl with bread, tearing bread as necessary to completely cover bottom without overlapping. Halve remaining bread slices lengthwise. Line sides of bowl with overlapping bread slices (reserve some for covering the top); trim bread flush with top of bowl.
• Combine berries, sugar, cinnamon, and 1/4 cup water in a large saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, gently stirring a few times, just until berries start to soften and currants begin to burst and release their juices. Do not let mixture boil. Remove from heat. Let cool 10 minutes.
• Pour berry mixture into bowl and cover with a single layer of remaining bread slices, tearing bread as necessary to fill in any gaps. Place a round dish or pan slightly smaller than the diameter of the bowl on top of bread, and press down on plate until juices rise to surface. Place a heavy can or other weight on top of plate. Transfer to refrigerator and let chill at least 12 hours and up to 1 day.
• Remove weighted plate from basin. Run a thin knife around edge between bread and bowl. Invert onto a rimmed serving plate and lift bowl to release pudding. Stir together mascarpone and cream in a bowl until smooth, then whisk to soft peaks. Cut pudding into wedges and serve with whipped mascarpone cream.

Steps:

• Cut a large round from one of the slices of bread to fit in the bottom of a six-cup pudding bowl or basin. Cut the remaining slices in half and use to line the sides of the bowl, overlapping the slices slightly and trimming where necessary. Once you have finished lining the bowl, you should have enough bread left over for the top.
• Put the redcurrants, blackcurrants and blueberries in a saucepan with the sugar, lemon juice, water and kirsch (if using) and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved and the juices start to flow from the berries. Add the remaining fruits - the blackberries, raspberries and strawberries - and heat gently for 5 minutes or until the berries have just softened. Remove from the heat.
• Spoon the fruit and juice into the lined pudding bowl and cover with the reserved bread, then cover with plastic wrap. Stand the bowl on a plate or small plastic tray to catch any juices. Place a small, flat plate on top of the pudding and add some extra weight, ideally about 1 kilo. Two tubs of margarine would do the job! Chill the pudding overnight.
• When you are ready to serve the pudding, remove the weights and the plate and plastic wrap, and using a palette knife, gently loosen it from the sides of the bowl. Invert the pudding onto a plate, preferably one with a small lip, to retain the juices and keep them on the plate. Shake gently to release the pudding, decorate with extra fruit around the base of the pudding and serve the pudding with cardamom cream.
• Cardamom Cream: Mix together the cardamom seeds and the cream and chill for two hours.
• Chef's Tip: To prevent gaps appearing in the bread as you line the bowl, trim the sides of each slice at an angle so that the slices fit more easily around the bowl.

Steps:

• In a large saucepan over low heat, gently warm the berries, red currants, and sugar. Cook until the berries soften and release their juices, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the kirsch or lemon juice. Let cool, stirring occasionally to encourage juiciness.
• Line a 1 1/2-quart (1.5-liter) soufflé dish or a deep bowl of similar size with plastic wrap. Line the bottom and sides with a single layer of bread slices, trimming the slices as needed to fit snugly against each other. Ladle half of the berries and their juice into the bread-lined dish and distribute them evenly.
• Arrange a single layer of bread slices over the berries, trimming to fit. Add the remaining berries and juice, then cover with a final layer of bread.
• Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface of the pudding, cover with a plate slightly smaller in diameter than the dish, and place a fairly heavy object (such as a large can of tomatoes) on the plate to weigh the pudding down. Refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, remove the plastic wrap and invert the pudding onto a plate. Lift off the dish or bowl and the plastic used to line it.
• Serve with whipped cream (page 239). Depending on how juicy the berries were that you used to make the pudding, you may wish to have some additional lightly sweetened berries or Raspberry Sauce (page 246) on hand to douse any unsoaked areas.
• The pudding, in its mold, will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
• Because red currants add a distinctive bit of tang, they are an important addition to this dessert and they're worth seeking out. But they can be difficult to find. If so, use another pint of raspberries in their place.
• You can use frozen unsweetened berries in place of the fresh ones.

Steps:

• Wash the fruit and place it all (except the strawberries) in a large pan with the caster sugar and 3 tbsp water. Gently heat for 3 mins until the juice from the fruit starts to seep out. Add the strawberries and cook for 2 mins more. Drain the juice from the fruit through a sieve set over a large bowl. Taste the juice and add a little more sugar if necessary.
• Line a 1.2-litre pudding basin with a double layer of cling film, leaving an overlap around the top. Remove the crusts from the brioche and slice the loaf into 1cm-thick slices along the length of the loaf. Cut 1 slice in half widthways and trim the corners to fit into the base of the bowl - you may need to use both squares, trimmed to fit.
• Trim the slices to the correct length to line the sides of the bowl. To assemble the pudding, dip the slices of brioche into the fruit juice, then use them to line the basin. Start with the bottom pieces, then lay soaked rectangles of brioche along the sides of the bowl. If you have any gaps left at the end, patch these up with any remaining brioche, but make sure you save some for the base.
• Tip the fruit into the lined basin. Finish the pudding with a layer of brioche to make a base, then pour over any remaining liquid. Wrap the overhanging cling film over the top.
• Place a small plate, which will fit snugly on top of the basin, over the cling film and weigh down with 2 x 400g cans of tomatoes or beans. Leave the pudding weighed down in the fridge for at least a couple of hours, or overnight if possible.
• To serve, unwrap the cling film and place a serving plate over the pudding. Flip it over, remove the basin and carefully peel away the cling film. Serve in slices with clotted cream, if you like.

Steps:

• Wash and prepare the fruits carefully.
• Place the water and sugar in a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved.
• Add the fruits and cook gently for a few minutes - do not boil rapidly.
• Allow the mix to cool and check for sweetness - add more sugar if required.
• Take 8 individual pudding moulds and line with cling film.
• Remove the crusts from the bread.
• Take 8 slices of the bread and cut them in half to form oblongs.
• Line the insides of the moulds with the oblongs.
• On 2 slices cut them into quarters to make squares to line the bottom of the moulds - there should not be any gaps.
• Spoon carefully into the moulds the fruit mixture to the top.
• Keep back some of the juice from the fruits.
• With the remaining bread cut out circles big enough to cover the whole of the mould.
• Place the bread lids on top and fold over the cling film.
• Place the moulds on a tray and place another tray on top.
• Place weights on top of the tray and refrigerate the puddings over night.
• Turn out the puddings and remove the cling film.
• With a pastry brush give the puddings a gentle coat of the saved juices of the fruit. If there are any white bits still showing this will cover them up.
• Serve chilled with pouring cream.

Steps:

• Add the raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and sugar to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the berries have softened but are still mostly intact and the sugar just dissolves. Remove the pan from the heat.
• Strain the berries through a fine-mesh sieve set over a liquid measuring cup. Add water as needed so you have 1½ cups (360 ml) of liquid total. Pour the liquid into a shallow dish. Reserve the fruit and the liquid.
• Trim the crusts off the bread. Cut the bread in half down the middle.
• Line a 2-quart bowl with enough plastic wrap to hang over the edges at least 4 inches (10 cm) all around.
• Dip a half slice of bread at a time in the reserved berry juice, then line the sides of the wrapped bowl, overlapping slightly. Some slices can hang over the side of the bowl. Line the center of the bowl once the sides are covered.
• Spoon the reserved berries into the center of the lined bowl. Fold the bread over the berries, then dip the remaining bread in the berry juice and cover the center, overlapping slightly. Pour any remaining juice over the pudding.
• Cover the pudding with the plastic wrap. Place a small plate on top and weigh down with a can. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, up to overnight.
• When ready to serve, remove the plate and the can and peel back the plastic. Place a serving platter over the bowl and quickly flip both the bowl and platter over to invert the pudding. Remove the bowl and plastic wrap.
• Top the pudding with the whipped cream, more berries, and fresh mint leaves. Slice and serve.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Cut bread into 14 (1/2-inch-thick) slices. Cut out a 3-inch round from 1 slice and put in bottom of bowl. Line side of bowl with 10 slices, overlapping them slightly.
• Bring berries, sugar, and lemon juice to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until berries collapse and release their juices, about 8 minutes. Spoon fruit into a sieve set over a bowl and let drain 15 minutes. Spoon drained fruit into bread-lined bowl (reserve juices) and cover completely with remaining bread, cutting bread to fit.
• Pour juices evenly over bread, making sure all bread is saturated. Cover pudding directly with a piece of wax paper and place a 7-inch plate, upside down, on top of paper. Put a 1- to 1 1/2-pound weight (such as a large can) on plate and chill at least 8 hours.
• Remove weight, plate, and wax paper and invert platter over bowl, then invert bowl onto platter. Carefully unmold.

Steps:

• Mix the first 3 ingredients and leave for 5-10 mins. If you're using defrosted fruit, tip in some of the juice, too. Meanwhile, line a 1.2 litre pudding basin with cling film, leaving an overhang. Cut a circle of bread to fit the base, then quarter the rest.
• Drain the juices from the soaked fruit into a bowl, dip the bread in until soaked. Layer up the fruit and bread, pour over the remaining juices and cover with the overhanging cling film - weigh down with a small plate and a couple of cans. Chill in the fridge for 10 mins or until ready to eat. Serve with single cream.