At probably the most awkward point in my teens, I lived for a time in England with my family. I have many wonderful memories of this period. Few, however, are of food as the late 1970s were a time when Britain was still earning (rather than living down) its reputation as an island of culinary hazards. School lunches were particularly dismal. Mostly arrangements of fatty sausage, potatoes, boiled vegetables, leaden meat pies and heavy steamed puddings, they did an excellent job of fattening me up for my inevitable slaughter on the rugby pitch.
There were a few bright spots, though. One of them was summer pudding, one of the freshest, lightest and most delicious desserts I had ever tasted. Because it’s made with bread instead of a rich cake, there’s little to interfere with the concentrated flavor of fresh summer berries, which is almost overwhelming –in a very good way. And, it requires no baking at all, and very little cooking, which might explain how it escaped the old English kitchen curse.
The only catch to this recipe is that the pudding needs to be assembled in advance and left to rest overnight in the refrigerator so that the bread can soak up all of that delicious summer flavor. It comes together quickly, though, so it’s something you easily could do just before you go to bed. The exact mix of berries is up to you, but I think one should use a substantial amount of raspberries and blackberries for both flavor and texture. If these berries are very expensive fresh (as they often are, even in season), fresh frozen berries will work just fine at a fraction of the cost. The kirch is a sophisticated addition, but I usually omit it since summer pudding is one of Julia’s favorite treats.
Recipe
Ingredients
About 8 cups of mixed fresh summer berries, such as raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and blueberries. (Red currants are also delicious in this dessert, but are hard to find in the U.S.)
1 cup sugar
1 loaf firm, dense white bread (1 lb, 500g), such as a pullman loaf or brioche
2 tablespoons kirch (optional)
heavy cream for whipping
Instructions
1. Wash the berries and dump them all into a large saucepan with the sugar. Cook over medium heat until the berries start to break down and release their liquid. Remove from the heat and stir in the kirch, if using.
2. Cut the crusts off of the bread and slice it into 1/2 inch (13mm) slices.
3. Line 1 1/2 quart (1.5 l) souffle dish or bowl with plastic wrap. Line the sides and bottom with slices of bread in a single layer, trimming as necessary to fit.
4. Using a slotted spoon, fill the bread-lined dish with half of the berries.
5. Cover with another layer of bread slices.
6. Then spoon the other half of the berries over that and pour about 2/3 of the juices from the pan into the dish. (Reserve the remaining juices). Top with a final layer of bread slices.
7. Cover the dish with plastic wrap, place a plate slightly smaller than the dish on top, and place a weight on top of the plate, such as a large can of tomatoes. Refrigerate overnight.
8. The next day, unwrap the top of the dish. Wet any remaining dry spots on the bread with some of the reserved pan juices.
10. Hold a plate tightly over the dish and invert. Lift away the dish and peel off the plastic wrap. Again, wet any dry spots on the bread shell with some of the reserved berry juice.
Slice into wedges and serve with a ladle of berry juice and a dollop of whipped cream. Mmmmmm.
