Fig And Raspberry Summer Pudding Food

RASPBERRY SUMMER PUDDING (ENGLISH STYLE)

Steps:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, water, and raspberries. Cook, stirring carefully so as not to damage the berries, until the mixture is hot, and the sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Line a 1 quart bowl with 5 slices of bread. Pour the raspberry mixture over the bread, and place the last slice of bread on top. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap. Place a weight on top of the bowl (canned goods work well), and refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, remove plastic wrap, and invert onto a plate. Serve chilled, with whipped cream on the side.

CLASSIC SUMMER PUDDING

Steps:

• Wash the fruit and place it all (except the strawberries) in a large pan with the caster sugar and 3 tbsp water. Gently heat for 3 mins until the juice from the fruit starts to seep out. Add the strawberries and cook for 2 mins more. Drain the juice from the fruit through a sieve set over a large bowl. Taste the juice and add a little more sugar if necessary.
• Line a 1.2-litre pudding basin with a double layer of cling film, leaving an overlap around the top. Remove the crusts from the brioche and slice the loaf into 1cm-thick slices along the length of the loaf. Cut 1 slice in half widthways and trim the corners to fit into the base of the bowl - you may need to use both squares, trimmed to fit.
• Trim the slices to the correct length to line the sides of the bowl. To assemble the pudding, dip the slices of brioche into the fruit juice, then use them to line the basin. Start with the bottom pieces, then lay soaked rectangles of brioche along the sides of the bowl. If you have any gaps left at the end, patch these up with any remaining brioche, but make sure you save some for the base.
• Tip the fruit into the lined basin. Finish the pudding with a layer of brioche to make a base, then pour over any remaining liquid. Wrap the overhanging cling film over the top.
• Place a small plate, which will fit snugly on top of the basin, over the cling film and weigh down with 2 x 400g cans of tomatoes or beans. Leave the pudding weighed down in the fridge for at least a couple of hours, or overnight if possible.
• To serve, unwrap the cling film and place a serving plate over the pudding. Flip it over, remove the basin and carefully peel away the cling film. Serve in slices with clotted cream, if you like.

RASPBERRY FIG SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine figs, water, honey and vanilla bean in a saucepan.
• Stir over a low heat until honey dissolves. Bring to the boil then simmer until figs are tender and liquid has reduced to a thick syrup, stirring frequently for about 20 minutes.
• Stir in frozen raspberries and continue to simmer until sauce thickens to required consistency, about 5 minutes.

FIG & RASPBERRY CRUMBLE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Grease and line the base of a 20cm springform cake tin. Make the crumble topping by rubbing the flour and butter together with your fingertips until you have a crumbly mixture. Stir in the sugar.
• For the cake, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the egg, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Sift the flour and add the almonds and baking powder. Fold in 1 large tbsp of the flour mixture into the batter, then add the rest, alternating with the yogurt.
• Snip the stalks off the figs. Halve four of them and chop the rest. Stir the chopped figs and one-third of the raspberries into the batter, then scrape into the prepared tin. Lay the halved figs on top and sprinkle on half the remaining raspberries. Scatter on the crumble, then the rest of the raspberries, then the flaked almonds.
• Bake in the oven for 1 hr 15 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean (check it after 1 hr). Leave in the tin for about 15 mins, then run a palette knife around the outside of the cake, carefully unclasp the surround, remove the base and the parchment, and slide the cake onto a serving plate. Serve with crème fraîche.

SUMMER PUDDING

Steps:

• Bring out the juices: Wash fruit and gently dry on kitchen paper - keep strawberries separate. Put sugar and 3 tbsp water into a large pan. Gently heat until sugar dissolves - stir a few times. Bring to a boil for 1 min, then tip in the fruit (not strawberries). Cook for 3 mins over a low heat, stirring 2-3 times. The fruit will be softened, mostly intact and surrounded by dark red juice. Put a sieve over a bowl and tip in the fruit and juice.
• Line the bowl with cling film and prepare the bread: Line the 1.25-litre basin with cling film as this will help you to turn out the pudding. Overlap two pieces of cling film in the middle of the bowl as it's easier than trying to get one sheet to stick to all of the curves. Let the edges overhang by about 15cm. Cut the crusts off the bread. Cut 4 pieces of bread in half, a little on an angle, to give 2 lopsided rectangles per piece. Cut 2 slices into 4 triangles each and leave the final piece whole.
• Build the pud: Dip the whole piece of bread into the juice for a few secs just to coat. Push this into the bottom of the basin. Now dip the wonky rectangular pieces one at a time and press around the basin's sides so that they fit together neatly, alternately placing wide and narrow ends up. If you can't quite fit the last piece of bread in it doesn't matter, just trim into a triangle, dip in juice and slot in. Now spoon in the softened fruit, adding the strawberries here and there as you go.
• Let flavours mingle then serve: Dip the bread triangles in juice and place on top - trim off overhang with scissors. Keep leftover juice for later. Bring cling film up and loosely seal. Put a side plate on top and weight down with cans. Chill for 6 hrs or overnight. To serve, open out cling film then put a serving plate upside-down on top and flip over. serve with leftover juice, any extra berries and cream.

FIG-AND-RASPBERRY SUMMER PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine 1 cup of sugar and the water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Let cool. Stir in the rum. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, combine 3 tablespoons of sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle the mixture over the brioche. Place on a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Arrange the brioche slices in a 7 1/2-by-11 1/2-inch shallow baking dish in a single or slightly overlapping layer.
• Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the figs and saute until browned on all sides, about 3 minutes. Cut the figs in half lengthwise and place them cut side down over the bread. Scatter the raspberries over the figs. Pour the rum syrup over the fruit. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until the fruit is very soft but not mushy, about 1 hour. Serve warm or at room temperature.