Traditional Australian Summer Pudding

"A visually stunning and totally scrumptious pudding, this traditional Australian summer pudding is made when berries are at their peak; and it is served cold with Cardamom Cream. Blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants: the ratios are unimportant. What I've indicated below in the ingredients is but one possible berry combination. It was easier than trying to get Zaar to recognise all the possible alternative ingredients! Vary the ratios to suit your taste preferences and, of course, depending on what is available. What is important is that overall you have 1 kilo of berries (Australian): 2 pounds of berries (American) or 910g of berries (Canadian). A variety of berries will naturally make for a more interesting flavour combination. The preparation and cooking time does not include the overnight chilling time. Because it is a dessert that needs that overnight chilling, it can of course be made totally ahead of time! I have adapted this recipe from the Australian publication by Reader's Digest of a book jam-packed with traditional Australian recipes: 'Family Recipe Scrapbook: tried and trusted recipes for today's cooks'."
 
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Ready In:
35mins
Ingredients:
14
Serves:
6
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ingredients

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directions

  • Cut a large round from one of the slices of bread to fit in the bottom of a six-cup pudding bowl or basin. Cut the remaining slices in half and use to line the sides of the bowl, overlapping the slices slightly and trimming where necessary. Once you have finished lining the bowl, you should have enough bread left over for the top.
  • Put the redcurrants, blackcurrants and blueberries in a saucepan with the sugar, lemon juice, water and kirsch (if using) and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved and the juices start to flow from the berries. Add the remaining fruits - the blackberries, raspberries and strawberries - and heat gently for 5 minutes or until the berries have just softened. Remove from the heat.
  • Spoon the fruit and juice into the lined pudding bowl and cover with the reserved bread, then cover with plastic wrap. Stand the bowl on a plate or small plastic tray to catch any juices. Place a small, flat plate on top of the pudding and add some extra weight, ideally about 1 kilo. Two tubs of margarine would do the job! Chill the pudding overnight.
  • When you are ready to serve the pudding, remove the weights and the plate and plastic wrap, and using a palette knife, gently loosen it from the sides of the bowl. Invert the pudding onto a plate, preferably one with a small lip, to retain the juices and keep them on the plate. Shake gently to release the pudding, decorate with extra fruit around the base of the pudding and serve the pudding with cardamom cream.
  • Cardamom Cream: Mix together the cardamom seeds and the cream and chill for two hours.
  • Chef's Tip: To prevent gaps appearing in the bread as you line the bowl, trim the sides of each slice at an angle so that the slices fit more easily around the bowl.

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Reviews

  1. Delicious and perfect for summer! I modified the recipe a bit by not using currents and probally a lot more strawberries than the other berries. I also didn't know what a pudding dish was, so used a mixing bowl and sandwich bread -- thus it didn't unmold the way it was supposed to -- but no one cared -- this was totally the most delicious berry dessert I've ever made! I was wondering about using white (sweetened) coffee bread for thicker slices of bread next time and a dish with straight sides (to unmold easier). Thanks for sharing this keeper!
     
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July 2008 update: VERY happy to be back on Zaar after about a two year absence due to having had no internet connection at home, and having been too unwell for a time so that getting re-connected wasn't even a priority! <br> <br>And really looking forward to getting back into the Zaar world and connecting again with the many wonderful people I knew before, and new people, of course!
 
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