Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Summer Pudding with Mascarpone

A Christmas-time classic, this recipe is incredibly simple and presents beautifully. The vibrant, fresh summer berries make it the perfect way to round off any Christmas feast.

Ingredients: serves 4
1 loaf white sliced bread
1 punnet each of summer berries: could include raspberries, red or white currants, blueberries, mulberries, blackberries, strawberries or logan berries.
250g good mascarpone
Mint tips
500ml mixed berry coulis: Blend leftover or frozen mixed berries (3 cups) with equal parts water and sugar, adjust consistency and flavour by adding more/less of each ingredient or a squeeze of lemon.

Equipment:
4 x soufflé moulds / deep ramekins
1 x large tray

Method:
Step 1: Preparation
Cut 24 slices of bread to the size of your soufflé mould or ramekin and place on a large tray. Cover with three quarters of the berry coulis, or until it absorbs most of the sauce and changes to a deep red.
Step 2: Assembly
Line souffle mould with cling film and place a disc of bread on the base. Place a few mixed berries on top and drizzle with coulis from bread tray. Repeat this layering until the souffle mould is full, finishing with a layer of bread.
Cover each mould with cling film and place a light weight on top of puddings to compress. Refrigerate overnight.

To serve:
Remove the puddings from the mould by turning upside down. Garnish with mixed berries, a dollop of mascarpone, remaining berry coulis and couple of mint leaves.