Grilled Summer Berry Pudding Food

SUMMER BERRY PUDDING

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, add the fruit (reserving a few berries for garnish). Add the sugar and cook until the fruit is starting to release some liquid, is tender and beginning to burst, but still holds its shape, about 5 minutes.
• Line a large 6-cup pudding bowl with plastic wrap, allowing lots of overhang.
• Remove the crusts from 10 to 12 slices of bread. Press the bread slices briefly in the juices at the top of the berries in the pot then lay them into the bowl, juice-side down, ensuring there are no spaces. Use smaller pieces to overlap or close gaps in spaces, as needed.
• Remove the berries from the heat, and cool slightly. Using a slotted spoon, spoon the fruit into the bread-lined bowl, and top with a final layer of bread and spoon a bit more of the juices over the top to color the top layer of bread evenly. Reserve the remaining cooking juices for serving. Cover with the plastic wrap and place a plate over the top. Add a large heavy can or a 2-pound weight to the plate and let sit at least 8 hours, or overnight, refrigerated.
• On serving, whip the cream until soft peaks just begin to form. Add the sugar and whip until almost stiff.
• Gently invert the bowl onto a large serving dish, shaking it lightly to loosen. Peel the plastic wrap off, and spoon the reserved juice all over, to soak any bits of bread that still look white. Serve with a bowl of whipped cream on the side, or cut individual wedges, and add a dollop of cream and a berry or two for garnish.

SUMMER FRUIT CROSTATA

Steps:

• For the pastry:
• Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and toss quickly (and carefully!) with your fingers to coat each cube of butter with the flour. Pulse 12 to 15 times, or until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube. Keep hitting the pulse button to combine, but stop the machine just before the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board, roll it into a ball, cut in half, and form into 2 flat disks. Wrap the disks in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. If you only need 1 disk of dough The other disk of dough can be frozen.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll the pastry into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer it to the baking sheet.
• For the pastry (makes 2 crostatas) .
• For the filling:
• Cut the peaches and plums in wedges and place them in a bowl with the blueberries. Toss them with 1 tablespoon of the flour, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the orange zest, and the orange juice. Place the mixed fruit on the dough circle, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border.
• Combine the 1/4 cup flour, the 1/4 cup sugar, and the salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Pour into a bowl and rub it with your fingers until it starts to hold together. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Gently fold the border of the pastry over the fruit, pleating it to make an edge.
• Bake the crostata for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the fruit is tender. Let the crostata cool for 5 minutes, then use 2 large spatulas to transfer it to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

PEACH AND BERRY SUMMER PUDDING

Steps:

• Combine the strawberries, sugar, and 1/4 cup of water in a large saucepan and cook uncovered over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add 2 half-pints of the raspberries and all of the blueberries and peaches and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches a simmer. Simmer for 1 minute. Off the heat, stir in the remaining raspberries and the framboise.
• Slice the bread into 1/2-inch-thick slices and remove the crusts. In the bottom of a 7 1/2-inch round by 3-inch high soufflé or baking dish, ladle about 1/2 cup of the cooked fruit mixture. Arrange slices of bread on top in a pattern (this will become the top when the pudding is unmolded) and then add more fruit mixture to saturate. Continue adding bread, cutting it to fit the mold, and fruit. Finish with bread and cooked fruit, using all of the fruit and syrup.
• Place a sheet of plastic wrap loosely over the pudding. Find a plate approximately the same diameter as the inside of the mold and place it on top. Weight the mold with a heavy can and refrigerate overnight.
• Just before serving, run a knife around the outside of the pudding and unmold it upside down onto a serving plate. Serve in wedges with whipped cream.
• Whip the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When it starts to thicken, add the sugar and vanilla. Continue to whip until it forms stiff peaks. Serve cold.

SUMMER BERRY PUDDING

Steps:

• Special Equipment: Cheesecloth; heavy can or weight
• Coarsely chop the strawberries and put them and the other berries in a sauce pan. Add the sugar and salt and cook over high heat until the berries are heated and just giving up there juices. About 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
• In a blender, puree the simple syrup with 2 pints of raspberries until smooth. Set aside.
• Line a 2-quart pudding mold or deep bowl with cheesecloth. Dip both sides of some of the bread slices in the raspberry puree and arrange around the sides and bottom of the mold. Soak the remaining slices in the berry puree and layer with the cooked berries. Repeat and end with a bread layer on top.
• 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, remove the cheesecloth and serve with scoop or two of vanilla ice cream. Sprinkle a little salt on top of ice cream for that hand-churned affect of homemade ice cream.

BERRY PUDDING

Steps:

• The day before you plan to serve the pudding, line a mixing bowl with plastic wrap. Line the plastic wrap with the bread slices, trimming the pieces so that they fit together neatly. Save enough bread to cover the top of the pudding. In a saucepan, combine the apple juice concentrate and all the berries. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until the strawberries begin to soften, about 1 minute. Immediately turn off the heat. Stirring, dissolve the gelatin in the water, then add the mixture to the berries and stir to combine. Spoon the mixture into the bread-lined bowl. Cover with remaining bread slices. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill overnight. When ready to serve, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Remove the pudding from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap on top of the bowl. Carefully turn the pudding out onto a platter and serve in spoonfuls with whipped cream on top.

BERRY SUMMER PUDDING

Steps:

• To make the pudding, combine berries, sugar and 1/3 cup water in a medium saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved and berries release their juices, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. The sauce should be sweet, with a hint of tartness. Adjust with more sugar or lemon juice as needed. Stir in rosewater if using
• Spoon an even layer of berry syrup (not the berries themselves) in the bottom of an 8-inch loaf pan or a medium-size bowl. Line bottom of pan or bowl with a single layer of bread; cut bread into pieces as necessary to make it fit. Spoon 1/3 of the fruit on top of bread, making sure bread is completely coated; top with a layer of bread. Repeat twice more, alternating layers of fruit with layers of bread, ending up with bread as the top layer. Let mixture cool completely, then wrap pan tightly with plastic wrap. Place a light weight on top of the pudding. Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
• Run a knife around sides of summer pudding, then turn it over onto a plate to unmold. Serve in slices with cream or ice cream on top.