Ingredients
| 400g fresh or frozen boysenberries | |
| 130g fresh or frozen blackcurrants (I used Viberi brand) | |
| 100g (approx ½ cup) sugar | |
| grated zest of 1 lemon | |
| juice of ½ lemon | |
| ½ teaspoon vanilla paste | |
| 3 tablespoons gin (optional) | |
| 1 loaf good white bread (approx 8 slices), a few days old |
One of the highlights of British cooking is the thrifty yet joyous summer pudding using ripe berries and stale bread. Traditionally made with raspberries and redcurrants, here I’ve used a mix of boysenberries and blackcurrants. The latter are essential, I think, for a tart edge but you can use any berry in the mix. I used a two-day old ciabatta loaf patching any large holes, but any good white loaf will work (leftover panettone or brioche would work well here, too).
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Instructions
| 1. | Reserve 1 cup of the boysenberries and set aside. |
| 2. | Put the remaining boysenberries and the blackcurrants in a pan with the sugar, lemon zest and juice and vanilla paste. |
| 3. | Allow to sit for 15 minutes to get the juices to run. |
| 4. | Heat gently to bring to a simmer, then cook for 2-3 minutes. |
| 5. | Add the gin (if using) and remaining berries and set aside. |
| 6. | Line a pudding bowl with plastic wrap allowing some overhang. |
| 7. | Slice the bread thinly and remove the crusts. |
| 8. | Cut a round to fit the base of the bowl and a larger round for the top (you can patch together smaller slices if necessary). |
| 9. | Press the smaller round into the bottom of the bowl and cut the remaining pieces of bread to line the sides, fitting the bread pieces together without leaving any gaps. |
| 10. | Spoon the berries into the bowl along with half the berry juice, put on the top round of bread and fold over the plastic wrap. |
| 11. | Put a small plate on top, then weigh it down with cans or a small, heavy saucepan and refrigerate overnight (it can pay to put this on a tray to catch any liquid). |
| 12. | When ready to serve, remove the weights and the plate. Peel back the plastic wrap from the top of the pudding. |
| 13. | Choose a serving dish with a lip to catch the juices and put it over the bowl. Quickly and decisively flip the bowl and serving dish, then carefully remove the bowl and the plastic wrap. |
| 14. | Drizzle over the remaining berry juices. |
| 15. | Cut into slices and serve with cream, mascarpone or yoghurt. |
Recipes & food styling Ginny Grant / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Jo Bridgeford