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BERRIES WITH BREAD
In the restaurant at the Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh they serve bread and summer berries, not in the usual summer pudding style, but in a large rectangular tray. A thick juicy crimson mixture of stewed berries and soaking bread. It is invitingly colourful — and for the cook a quick and easy method which was created by Helen Ruthven.
For economy in the restaurant, the berry juices are sweetened with concentrated blackcurrant syrup. At home she flavours with red wine and crème de cassis.
INGREDIENTS
For 6-8 servings:
1 cup (250ml/8fl oz) liquid — rum-pot liqueur or fresh fruit puree or commercial juice, red wine, crème de cassis, grenadine, other fruit liqueur to taste 125g (4oz) white bread, crusts removed
METHOD
You will need a 1 1/2 litre (3 pint) square, round or rectangular dish or pudding bowl/basin. Wash and shaw the strawberries and put them with the other fruit in a bowl. Sprinkle with sugar and leave for a few hours or overnight. Turn once. Put into a pan, bring slowly up to almost simmering point and remove from the heat. Add the liquid and taste. Add more sugar if necessary. Cool slightly
Cut the bread into squares and put into the still hot liquid two or three pieces at a time. Make sure each piece of bread is thoroughly soaked before adding more.
When the bread has soaked up all the liquid and the mixture is quite solid looking, turn into the pudding bowl. Add more bread if necessary. Cover with a plate and put in a cool place, preferably overnight or longer, before turning out. Serve with cream.
Alternatively, the mixture can be poured into a shallow serving dish, as it is served in the Gallery, and cut into square portions or just spooned out.
SOUP | FISH | MEAT | SCONES & PANCAKES | CAKES &BISCUITS
SHORTBREAD | PUDDINGS & PASTRY | MISCELLANEOUS