“S” is for Summer Pudding

Ingredients:

One-pound loaf of good quality white bread, cut in ½ inch slices with crust removed

1 cup sugar

Juice of one large lemon

5 cups mixed ripe fruit such as raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, currants, or cherries. (While not traditional, I also use peaches, nectarines and/or apricots to add color contrast.)

Grated rind of one lemon

2 Tablespoons framboise or cherry eau-de-vie

1 cup heavy cream, whipped

Cooking directions:

1.        Use a 6-cup glass Pyrex bowl. Line it with plastic wrap.

2.       Cut from one slice of bread a round to fit the bottom of the bowl.

3.       Line the bowl with slices of bread which can be overlapped to make a tight fit.  Save enough bread to top the budding later in the process.

4.       Put sugar in a heavy saucepan and add lemon juice.  Over a medium flame, stir until the sugar starts to dissolve. 

5.       Add in fruit and cook over low flame for 5 to 8 minutes until the fruit releases its juice but still retrain most of the berries’ shape.

6.       Add the eau de vie and lemon rind.

7.       Using another bowl to capture the juice, pour the fruit into a sieve.

8.       With a slotted spoon, transfer the berries into the center of the bread-lined bowl.

9.       Fit pieces of remaining bread over the top of the bowl.

10.   Pour all but ½ cup of the juice over the fruit.

11.   Put a plate into the top of the pudding. Wrap with plastic wrap then place a heavy can on top as a weight.

12.   Refrigerate the summer pudding and reserve sauce for at least 8 hours.

13.   When ready to serve, remove pudding from the refrigerator and carefully turn the bowl upside down onto a serving platter with a lip.  If any of the bread has not absorbed the juice evenly, you can spoon over some of the sauce.

14.   Slice and serve with whipped cream.

Serves:  6