Summer Pudding

When all the berries are upon us and 4th of July is within shouting distance, I love to make a British dessert that involves no baking and makes a smashing presentation. Served with whipped cream, it has the red, white and blue we all like to see on the 4th, British dessert or not. Traditionally, it uses red currants which I can't find right now so I just chose the brightest, freshest, juiciest berries I could find. I suppose you could add some red currant jelly to the mix if you are a purist. You have to make it the day before so the bread has time to soak up all those lovely juices. It's all about the juice, you know. I've seen this in all sizes and shapes so take your pick. Squares, pie-shaped wedges, spoonfuls. Any way you want.

It's an Ina Garten recipe and I did use brioche bread as she suggested. But do you know what I'm going to try the next time? Angel food cake. I think it would doubly delicious. The thing is, it's a pretty sweet dessert to start with, but still, I'm going to try it. Unless you do it first.... let me know how it turns out!

Summer Pudding
From Barefoot Contessa, Family Style, 2002

Ingredients:
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 half-pints fresh raspberries, divided
2 half-pints fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons framboise (raspberry brandy)
1 loaf brioche or egg bread (1 to 1 1/2 pounds)

Method:
Combine the strawberries, sugar, and 1/4 cup of water in a medium saucepan and cook uncovered over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add 2 half-pints of raspberries and all the blueberries and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches a simmer. Cook for one minute. Off the heat, stir in the remaining raspberries and the framboise.
Slice the bread in 1/2-inch-thick slices and remove the crusts. In the bottom of a 7 1/2-inch
round by 3-inch high souffle or baking dish, ladle about 1/2 cup of the cooked berry mixture.
Arrange slices of bread in a pattern (this will become the top when it's unmolded) and then add more berry mixture to saturate. Continue adding bread, cutting it to fit the mold, and berries. Finish with bread and cooked berries, using all of the fruit and syrup.
Place a sheet of plastic wrap loosely over the pudding. Find a plate approximately the same
diameter as the inside of the mold and place it on top. Weight the mold with a heavy can and
refrigerate. Remove the weight after 6 to 8 hours. Cover the pudding with plastic wrap and
refrigerate overnight.
Just before serving, run a knife around the outside of the pudding and unmold it upside down onto a serving plate. Serve in wedges with rum whipped cream.

Rum Whipped Cream:
1 cup (1/2 pint) cold heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon dark rum

Whip the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When it starts to thicken, add the sugar, vanilla, and rum. Continue to whip until it forms stiff peaks. Serve cold.
Serves 8-10