Anytime summer pudding (Love this in the winter, am I weird?)

I can remember when I was very young walking into my grandmother’s kitchen; she was always busy baking one thing or another.  This one recipe really sticks in my mind. We only had it in the summer. There were no freezers in my grandmothers’ day so fresh summer fruit was ‘only’ in the summer. Nowadays frozen fruit is as good as fresh so I like to call this Anytime Summer Pudding.

Anytime Summer Pudding (serves 4 to 6)
8 to 9 slices white bread, crusts removed)
¾ packet frozen fruit

Place the fruit in a saucepan large enough to allow to boil it in. Reduce and leave to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat to cool. Meanwhile, line a glass bowl (1 litre size) with the slices of bread (crusts removed) so that the bottom and sides are completely covered. Once the fruit has had time to cool, slowly spoon the fruit reduction into the bowl, (this is an important stage, you must ensure you have sufficient liquid to soak into the bread).

Having filled the bowl to just below the top, place the remaining slices of bread onto the top. (You should end up with a completely level bowl). Place in the fridge to firm up and set. Blend the remaining fruit to a paste and put in a plastic container in the fridge ready for presentation. I like to make this dessert the day before, giving enough time for the fruit to completely cool and set in the fridge. After taking the bowl of bred and fruit out of the fridge, turn what is now the pudding upside down onto a serving plate and return to fridge.

Reheat the fruit reduction from the fridge, cut one serving out of the pudding and pour a little of the reduction on one side, Then place one scoop of ice cream on one side along with a sprig of mint for decoration.

Useful tips

To ensure that your pudding drops out of the bowl, line the bowl with cling film then place the bread inside.

I sometimes have some fruit sauce spare and before lining the bowl with the bread I dip the bread in the sauce, giving great colour and definition to the finished piece.

Cost per portion: $1.75

Originally posted by Ian Leatt on http://lifestyles55.ca

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