Summer Berry Pudding

I always look forward to the summer berries. Blueberries, strawberries and raspberries are so sweet and they're available everywhere. This dessert only comes out in the summer (at least from my kitchen). I love being able to use fresh berries when they're at their peak. It has to be made a day in advance...or you can make it super early in the morning, but that's just too early for me. Other than it having to be done hours in advance, this dessert is super easy, and oh so beautiful. The colors are outstanding and it screams summer. I topped it with rum whipped cream which was a nice addition. This recipe is from Barefoot Contessa's Family Style cookbook. It sounds like a strange recipe. Bread soaked in fruits and their juices? There was something about it that seemed really appealing. I had to give it a try.

The only change I made was that I reduced the sugar in this recipe to 1 cup because the fruits are already sweet so I didn't think it needed any more.

My parents kept asking in detail how this was made. You can't quite figure out what it is. Is it cake? Is it just berries? Is there anything else? How does it stay together? It's puzzling. Nonetheless, they enjoyed it. Even my grandmother had seconds!

Ingredients

2 cups strawberries, cleaned and sliced
2 cups raspberries
1 cup blueberries or blackberries
1.5 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
1-1.5 pound brioche crusts removed

Directions


Coarsely chop the strawberries and put them and the other berries in a sauce pan. Add the sugar and water and cook over high heat until the berries are heated and just giving up there juices. About 5 minutes. Add 2 pints blueberries, 2 pints raspberries and cook for a few minutes.

In the bottom of a 7.5 inch wide and 3 inch tall souffle dish ladle 1/2 cup of berry sauce. Carefully place sliced bread to cover the entire bottom of the dish. Cut bread to fit like a puzzle if needed. This will be the top layer. Then ladle more berries to cover the bread. Repeat until you reach the top of the dish. The final layer should be the berry sauce.

Using a plate that fits just inside the top of the mold, place it on top of the pudding. Put the mold in a pan and weight the plate. Refrigerate the pudding overnight.

To serve, un-mold the pudding onto a serving platter by running a knife along the edge and flip over onto a platter. Serve with whipped cream!

Rum whipped cream:

1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp rum
3 tbsp confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Whip the whipping cream. When peaks start to form, add rum, sugar and vanilla extract.

yum!