Make the quintessential British summer pud as a farewell to berry season. It may be more of a construction project thana actual baking, but it is a bravura dessert.
The quintessential British pud makes the most of seasonal berries. It’s a bit of a fiddly construction project but the taste and the look are worth it. Use the best white bread you can find or brioche. Adapted from Olive Magazine.
| 5 c | fresh strawberries, stemmed and quartered (plus more for garnish) |
| 6¾ c | fresh raspberries (plus more for garnish) |
| 2 c | fresh blueberries (plus more for garnish) |
| 1 c | granulated sugar |
| 3 T | lemon juice (from 1 lemon) |
| ¼ t | fine sea salt |
| 12-14 slices | day-old white bread, slices crusts removed, or brioche |
Stir the strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and salt together in a large bowl. Let stand at room temperature until berries become very soft and release their juices, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, line a 2½-quart bowl (about 8 inches wide and 4 inches deep) with plastic wrap; set aside.
Pour the berry mixture through a fine wire mesh strainer set over a medium bowl and reserve the juices. Brush ½ cup reserved berry juice evenly over 1 side of the bread slices using a pastry brush (you want the bread slices to be dyed from the juice). Stir macerated berries and up to 1 cup juice in a large bowl, set aside. Reserve any remaining berry juice for brushing on finished pudding or for another use. Arrange bread slices, juice sides down, in the prepared bowl, covering the bottom and sides of bowl, overlapping and trimming bread slices as needed.
Carefully transfer the berry mixture to the bread-lined bowl, tightly packing it in. Arrange the remaining slices and any trimmings, juice side down, on top of berries to completely encase the filling, tearing bread to fit as needed.
Place the bowl on a rimmed baking sheet. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, then top with a plate that fits inside the lip of the bowl. Place 2 large cans (or equivalent) on the plate to compress pudding. Chill pudding in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours or up to 24 hours.
When ready to serve, remove canned goods, plate and the top plastic wrap. Invert bowl onto a large rimmed platter. Remove bowl; and peel away the plastic wrap. Brush the pudding with additional berry juice, if needed, to touch up. Garnish pudding with berries.
Cut into thick wedges and serve with whipped cream or crème fraîche.
Serves 6-12.