British food is incredibly creative in the most oddly boring way imaginable. Mainly consisting of things stuffed into other things and then boiled, it heavily relies on meat, more meat, some potatoes and then, often, the blood from the meat.
Dessert comes in sickly-sweet or savory versions. Pastries have suet in the crust and tons of sugar. Most are super-simple to make and incorporate pre-made elements. With summer cookouts on my mind, I thought this was the perfect time to revisit one of my favorite weirdo British delights: summer pudding.
"Pudding" is a term used very differently in the UK than the USA. A pudding can be dessert or a savory meal, and mainly implies that the ingredients are encased in something and then set in some way. This includes being boiled, cooked or cooled.
Summer pudding is almost too simple: It's bread and fruit. That's it. What makes it amazing are the steps that get you from ingredient list to table.
You'll need a medium saucepan, a wooden spoon, a strainer, cling wrap and a pudding form. You can go fancy and get a pudding basin (they run in the $15-$20 range), but a good bowl with a nice taper will work just as well. You want the bottom to be about 3 inches round, and the mouth around 8 inches. Anything kinda bell-shaped will work.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. brioche or French bread
- 12 oz. strawberries
- 12 oz. blueberries
- 8 oz. raspberries
- 8 ounces blackberries
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Directions:
Clotted Cream Recipe:
Take 1 quart heavy cream and place in a heatproof bowl over a pot of boiling water; use a double boiler if you have one. Bring cream to 175 degrees. Then slowly bring cream to 200 degrees and hold it there for an hour. A cracked, yellow foam will form. This is what you want. Set the bowl of cream in an ice bath to cool quickly. Cover and place in the fridge overnight. Skim the yellowed part into a jar and there you have it! Clotted cream. Or, you could just go buy some whipped cream. That works too.
Santa Fe Reporter