Talk About a Delicious Way to Use What You Have!
Are you baking fans aware of www.baking-sense.com? If not, you might want to check it out. This is the creation of Eileen Gray, a trained pastry chef, cookbook writer and full-time baking blogger. For over 10 years she was the owner and operator of an award-winning custom cake bakery (Cake Art Studio). Her cakes and other baking creations have been featured in national cake decorating and bridal magazines.
I’m an avid fan because her content is basic, easy to understand, and easy to replicate. Her site, BAKING SENSE: The Art and Science of Baking, is where I consistently find answers to just about all my baking questions.
I mention her, not just because she deserves the attention, but because it’s smart to align ourselves with the best-of-the-best. I love how she consistently shares unique and fun baking ideas, too.
For instance, yesterday she sent a recipe for Summer “Pudding” (“pudding” being a British term for just about any “dessert”). Eileen says, “This is an old-fashioned dessert that only looks fancy. This recipe requires almost no cooking, uses plain white bread for the “crust” and is full to the brim with sweet summer berries.” Just bread, berries, lemon juice, sugar, and water? Seriously? Talk about a delicious way to use what you have!
At first glance this classic British dessert made with plain white bread and some berries might not sound especially exciting. But as Eileen says, “Summer Berry Pudding is far more than the sum of its ingredients.”
First of all, you’ll love how the unsweetened bread soaks up the bright, tangy berry juices. It’s simple, but the flavor is anything but. The result is fresh, vibrant and unexpectedly elegant.
But wait, what’s incredible is how there’s absolutely no baking required. Just a quick simmer for the berries, then let the pudding chill. The entire process for assembling the pudding takes just over 30 minutes.
This is such a clever “use-what-you-have” dessert, its presentation is lovely, and it’s an easy, refreshing treat for hot summer days. And it’s just scrumptious served with either vanilla ice cream of sweetened whipped cream. (The timing is good, too—berry season is upon us!) Give it a try and let me know what you think. (P.S. When peach season arrives, I intend to swap out the berries for fresh peaches. I bet it’ll be dynamite!)
Summer "Pudding"
2 pounds mixed summer berries
3/4 cup sugar (adjust to taste)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
1 loaf white sandwich bread sliced
Directions:
1. In a medium sauce pan combine sugar, lemon juice and water.
2. Cook over medium-low heat until the sugar melts and the syrup begins to simmer. Add 2 pounds mixed summer berries and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Taste the berries and adjust the sugar and lemon juice as needed.
3. Drain the berries, reserving the juice.
ASSEMBLY
4. Line a 1 ½ quart bowl with plastic wrap so that it covers the inside of the bowl and hangs over the sides.
5. Cut a round of bread to fit the bottom of the bowl. Trim the crusts from the other bread slices and cut each slice in half.
6. Dip the round piece of bread into the berry juice. Lay the round into the bottom of the bowl. Dip a piece of bread into the juice and place it longways into the bowl. Dip another bread slice into the juice and lay it overlapping the first piece. Continue until the entire bowl is lined with bread. Dump the drained berries into the bowl.
7. Use bread pieces to cover the top of the berries completely. Tear bits of bread to work into spaces so the berries are completely incased. Save and refrigerate any juice that is left over. Fold the plastic wrap over the berries, place a small plate on top and set a can or another heavy-ish object to weight the pudding. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to 2 days.
8. To serve, peel back the plastic wrap from the top of the pudding. Flip the pudding onto a serving plate and lift off the bowl. Peel away the plastic wrap. Brush the pudding lightly with the reserved berry juice. Serve with whipped cream, Creme Anglaise or Vanilla Ice Cream. Garnish with the extra sauce, fresh berries, and mint leaves if you'd like.
2. Cook over medium-low heat until the sugar melts and the syrup begins to simmer. Add 2 pounds mixed summer berries and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Taste the berries and adjust the sugar and lemon juice as needed.
3. Drain the berries, reserving the juice.
ASSEMBLY
4. Line a 1 ½ quart bowl with plastic wrap so that it covers the inside of the bowl and hangs over the sides.
5. Cut a round of bread to fit the bottom of the bowl. Trim the crusts from the other bread slices and cut each slice in half.
6. Dip the round piece of bread into the berry juice. Lay the round into the bottom of the bowl. Dip a piece of bread into the juice and place it longways into the bowl. Dip another bread slice into the juice and lay it overlapping the first piece. Continue until the entire bowl is lined with bread. Dump the drained berries into the bowl.
7. Use bread pieces to cover the top of the berries completely. Tear bits of bread to work into spaces so the berries are completely incased. Save and refrigerate any juice that is left over. Fold the plastic wrap over the berries, place a small plate on top and set a can or another heavy-ish object to weight the pudding. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to 2 days.
8. To serve, peel back the plastic wrap from the top of the pudding. Flip the pudding onto a serving plate and lift off the bowl. Peel away the plastic wrap. Brush the pudding lightly with the reserved berry juice. Serve with whipped cream, Creme Anglaise or Vanilla Ice Cream. Garnish with the extra sauce, fresh berries, and mint leaves if you'd like.
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Alice Osborne
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com