So here is a Nigel Slater
recipe (thank you Nigel and The Guardian)
850g mixed raspberries and currants, with an
emphasis on raspberries
7-8 slices firm, good quality white bread
3 tbsps white sugar
3 tbsps water
cream to serve
7-8 slices firm, good quality white bread
3 tbsps white sugar
3 tbsps water
cream to serve
Sort through the fruit, tenderly, picking out any
that are unripe or mouldy. There's nearly always a few. Pull the currants from
their stems then put them, with the raspberries, in a stainless-steel saucepan
over a low heat. Taste the fruit for sweetness and add sugar accordingly. For
normal, sweet raspberries and slightly tart currants, I add 3 tablespoons or so
of sugar. Sometimes you may need slightly less or more. Use your own judgment,
bearing in mind that the finished pudding should have a bit of sharpness to it.
Pour in a little water, a couple of tablespoons will do, then bring it to the
boil.
The currants will start to burst and give out their
juice. They need no longer than three or four minutes at a cautious simmer. The
fruit should be shiny and there should be much magenta juice in the pan. Turn
off the heat.
Slice the bread thickly. Each slice should be about
as thick as your little finger. (Thinner if you are making several smaller
puddings in individual moulds.) Cut the crusts off the bread. Set one piece
aside, then cut the rest into 'soldiers', that is, each slice of bread into
three long fingers. Using a glass or cup as a template, cut a disc of bread
from the reserved slice and push it into the bottom of the pudding basin.
Line the inside of the basin with the strips of
bread, pushing them together snugly so that no fruit can escape, and keeping a
few strips for the top. Fill the bread-lined basin with the fruit and its juice
- it should come almost to the rim. Lay the remaining bread on top of the
fruit, tearing and patching where necessary, so no fruit is showing.
Put the basin in a shallow dish or bowl to catch
any juice, then lay a flat plate or small tray on top with a heavy weight to
squash the fruit down. Some juice may escape, but most will soak into the
bread. Leave overnight in the fridge. (You may have to remove a shelf depending
on how deep your fridge shelves are.)
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