Summer Pudding

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Summer Pudding

Yield 6

Author Harriett Sebastian

A wartime way to use up leftover bread, this recipe uses only a handful of very simple ingredients to make a filling homestyle dessert.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces/226g fresh fruits (red or other dark berries preferred, for color)
• 2 ounces/56g sugar
• 1/2 cup water (may need less if fruits are very juicy)
• 4-6 slices day-old bread
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract, optional

Instructions

1. Stew fruit, sugar and water (as needed) until fruits are tender.
2. Remove any thick crusts from bread slices. Cut slices into strips to fit a 2-cup basin without leaving gaps. (Cutting the slices into diagonal thirds, with strips slightly wider at one end than at the other, works well.) Dice crusts into small pieces.
3. Line basin with bread strips so that no basin shows through. Spoon half of fruit over bread, reserving as much juice as possible. Cover with a layer of bread crusts.
4. Add remaining fruit (reserving juice); then, cover with a layer of bread strips.
5. Carefully pour fruit juice over all. Place a saucer over the pudding; then, use a heavy can or jar to weight the saucer. Leave for at least 2 hours to cool and set.
6. Turn pudding out carefully onto a plate. Serve with custard (recipes in blog post "Bread--Staff of Life & Stuff of Dreams.")