7/18/11

Summer Pudding

We're traveling, dear readers! We're on the east coast for a beautiful wedding that took place last night and now we have a week with our family at the Chesapeake Bay. And while it's only the end of our first day here, I already know that it's going to be a spectacular week. How do I know this? Because I can feel the stress leaving my bodyand even see traces of it gone from my face. Because I was relaxed enough to have a beer with my lunch. Because I was relaxed enough to leave my cell phone at the house while we grocery shopped. Because I have checked my email only a handful of times since we left on Saturday. (That's a lie. I'm sure I've checked it thirty times or so, but it feels like a handful.) Because I prioritized reading the short story from this week's New Yorker instead of the nonfiction like I usually do. Because right now, I'm about to publish this post without having edited it half as much as I normally do.

The only minor glitch in this whole scenario is that before I left town I forgot to take a photo of Ina's version of this summer pudding, and I really wanted to show it to you as it's clearly the most beautiful dessert in the world. And well, our version doesn't quite do it justice.

our version:
photo by Sean Moe

For one, I didn't cut the crusts off the bread as directed. I thought leaving them on might add for a more interesting texture. I was wrong. The texture was virtually the same throughout so all this really did was make it look less pretty once it was unmolded. And secondly, I didn't fully saturate the bread with all of the berry juice. Thus, those non-purple spots above there.
I could have fully saturated the bread, but I was greedy. See, we were taking the larger summer pudding to our friends house for dinner and I wanted to make a couple of individual-sized ones to leave at home in case we ate it all and, God forbid, Matt and I were left Summer Pudding-less the following night.
above two photos by Sean Moe

Two aspects really made this dish go from standard-delicious to over-the-top amazing. The first is the rum whipped cream. The second is the temperature outside versus the temperature of the pudding. We ate this refreshing, ice cold pudding on one of those hot Los Angeles afternoons that have the ability of turning our old 1920s-era apartment buildings and houses into tropical havens of hot air. For posterity, it should probably also be noted that we enjoyed it after a few plates of food that looked like this:
Oh, and the following night, the mini version didn't let us down either.
My suggestion: make this today. (It won't be ready until tomorrow, but it's so worth it.) See you after vacation!

UPDATE: For the slaw component from the above taco photos, click here. For the rest of the recipe, check back. I'll post it as soon as possible!


Summer Pudding via Barefoot Contessa Family Style
ingredients
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 half-pints fresh raspberries, divided
2 half-pints fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons framboise (raspberry brandy)
1 loaf brioche or egg bread (1 to 1 1/2 pounds)

directions
Combine the strawberries, sugar, and 1/4 cup of water in a medium saucepan and cook uncovered over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add 2 half-pints of raspberries and all the blueberries and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches a simmer. Cook for one minute. Off the heat, stir in the remaining raspberries and the framboise.

Slice the bread in 1/2-inch-thick slices and remove the crusts. In the bottom of a 7 1/2-inch round by 3-inch high souffle or baking dish, ladle about 1/2 cup of the cooked berry mixture. Arrange slices of bread in a pattern (this will become the top when it's unmolded) and then add more berry mixture to saturate. Continue adding bread, cutting it to fit the mold, and berries. Finish with bread and cooked berries, 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. Remove the weight after 6 to 8 hours. Cover the pudding with plastic wrap 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 rum whipped cream.

Rum Whipped Cream:
1 cup (1/2 pint) cold heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon dark rum

Whip the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When it starts to thicken, add the sugar, vanilla, and rum. Continue to whip until it forms stiff peaks. Serve cold.

47 comments:

Matt said...

Gatsby's totally in the first taco picture. Love the summer pudding!

Natalie (NJ in L.A.) said...

My goodness is that a beautiful dish. This is something I really look forward to making. When I do, I'll definitely share it with you. Have a fun vacay!

Sonya said...

Can you post the taco recipe as well please?

CollegeKid said...

This is ridiculous. No one should ever come to this blog hungry. I made that mistake and I am paying for it. ahhhhh please, mail me something tasty!!

Carrie B said...

Looks amazing! I saw this recipe the other day on www.foodnetwork.com. Can't wait to try it!

Meister @ The Nervous Cook said...

The colors in that pudding are insane! I love that it's kind of tie-dyed, actually, and think it looks beautiful. And the squished strawberry in the last photo is the perfect topper to that mini pudding. So delightful!

All part of Best Summer Ever v. 2011, I hope!

Anonymous said...

Totally looks like a giant, tie-dyed bread pudding! Can't wait to "bon appetempt" this!

Jessica said...

This looks sooooooooo refreshing. Will definitely be putting this on summer desert list. Also, I'm with Sonya, would love that taco recipe! They look amazeballs.
-Jess

Rachel said...

Oooooh, I have been thinking I need to find a recipe for our fresh raspberries. Although, admittedly, they are so wonderful that it seems a bit sinful to combine them with other things. And I don't think we're so fortunate as to have 1.5 pints of berries at any one time. Although, I might eat my words, as I'm about to head outside and check the bush....
Looks scrumtrulescent!

Amelia Morris said...

@Sonya & @Jessica The tacos were a combined effort between me and my good friend Sara. I contributed the slaw, which I'm obsessed with--the recipe is here (Sricha optional): http://www.bonappetempt.com/2011/03/mexican-bibimbap.html

The guacamole is simply avocado, lime juice, salt and pepper.

Sara made the pork and corn salsa so maybe I'll have to re-post with those recipes! Though I know Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food has a good pork shoulder with dried chiles recipe...

Mary Anne said...

That dessert is gorgeous!!! What amazing colors! Yummmmmm!

Susan P. Cooper said...

Yumm!!! I can't wait to try this.

Anonymous said...

My god, That recipe looks so freaking good! Seems like something even my ultra picky husband would eat.


www.immakingmyhome.blogspot.com

Tricia Mason (Trish_M) said...

Hi :)

That looks really delicious (and just a bit fattening!!!)

Heather Taylor said...

i want it! you make for me?!

Punctuation Mark said...

delicious recipes!!! love the berries!!!

sara said...

i am so, so sad i didn't get to eat this! today is day 30, maybe i need to make one this weekend?

sara said...

also, i'm in love with the strawberry heart in the last shot!

megan said...

Oh my! That looks amazing.

jeana sohn said...

my mouth is watering.
hiiiii!

Stephanie▲ said...

Yumm. thats looks amazing :D

nice blog

Gewinnspiel:D

Freight Audit said...

Looks very sweet huh. I like it.. Very nice blog.

Tom Pugh said...

YUUUUMMM!!!!

This looks so appealing right even though it's the middle of winter (well... it is here anyway)

Gonna have to give it a try when it gets a bit warmer and I have some people up :)

- The Tea Drunk Photographer (AKA tom)

The Whispering Path Tarot Readers said...

My summer holidays start today and I'll be trying these recipes out. Thank you :)

Anonymous said...

very good

Elizabeth said...

I confess that I've never been a fan of bread pudding. But your description and photos are converting me and suddenly, I'm thinking I neeeeeeed to change my mind. I particularly like that you leave the crusts on the bread.

I'd also love to know what went into that amazing salad!

Have a wonderful holiday!

(Found you via SAVEUR's "sites we love")

Marisa @ The College Cuisiner said...

Great recipes! I am going to have try these. I bet the Rum Whipped Cream would be good with Coconut Rum too.

Generation wYno said...

I'd love to check out the recipe for the main dish too, it looks amazing!

Michael said...

I'd like to see if any modifications could be made to this recipe for prep in a Dutch Oven. We do a great deal of camping both with and without the Scouts and adding this to our dessert list would be outstanding. Any input? If not, I'll just wing it. Thanks for the recipe!

Diamond R said...

the pudding looks yummy.

Amelia Morris said...

@Michael - yes! the beauty of this pudding is that you don't bake it at all! it's simply weighted down in the refrigerator and then chilled overnight. so, yeah, you could definitely make it in any comparable-sized vessel. I would probably make it the night before I left and then bring it along in the cooler to eat that night. hope this helps!

A Tucson Web Developer said...

Thanks for the recipe, it looks delicious.

Paola said...

Yum!!! Miss You!!!!

Michael said...

@Amelia: awesome! thanks!

Philloz said...

I really love the name of your blog hahah! Can't wait to try out some of these recipes mate, keep it up!

DIGITAL WORLD PAGES ARCHIVE said...

Wonderful blog!

danica said...

amelia, i want to dine with you! and, after we have digested our food, choreograph a dance and make a music video. seriously, your version of "call your girlfriend" brightened my day beyond belief.

Chocolates & Figs said...

Since I did not find any other way to contact you, I decided to use this route. I was wondering if you would be kind enough to advise new food bloggers how to write recipes that sell. What is the secret of writing recipes that people would want to come back for more, or buying the writer's cookbook, etc.

I am contacting you as a top food blogger; I am interested to write a post about this popular topic.

Thanks for your help in advance

Amelia Morris said...

@chocolate&figs write me at bonappetempt@gmail.com! (for the most part, I don't write my own recipes though!)

J Thomas said...

Oh dear god it was a bad idea to come here hungry! That food looks absolutely incredible. Jealous to say the least ;p

Anonymous said...

Tt

Unknown said...

This is perfect timing! I happen to have a container full of leftover pieces of brioche and was thinking of doing bread pudding this is so much more appropriate. Awesome!

julianne said...

hi! thanks so much for posting this recipe! the photos were so beautiful i had to try it out. i just made it last night for a dinner party tonight and tried a tiny separate dish i made to taste, i just wanted to say that it's pretty sweet. it tasted almost as if i'd stuck a spoonful of strawberry jam in my mouth! i didn't have any framboise so just used regular ol brandy, and added an extra tablespoon of it to the berry mix.

i think if i make it again, i'll cut down the sugar a bit, or maybe add some lemon juice or zest to the berries.

anyway, thanks so so very much for the recipe and the beautiful photos. it was lots of fun and very easy to make.

Amelia Morris said...

@julianne - hi! thanks for your comment and sorry it was too sweet! Did you pair it with the rum whipped whipped cream? For me, that balance was key. I bet the lemon would go nicely though too -- if you try it, let me know how it works out!

Ameesha Lee said...

Hello There! I'm going to attempt this pudding tonight & wondered if I can substitute the brioche for another bread, if I can't find brioche for some reason? Any suggestions? Thanks, yours looking aaaamazing. :)

Amelia Morris said...

@ameesha thank you! as for your bread choice, I would really, emphasis on *really*, try to find brioche. I couldn't find an actual loaf so purchased fancy brioche hamburger buns. Also, a challah loaf would work but those are usually harder to find. A friend of mine made a vegan version with regular french bread and said it wasn't half as good as the brioche version. anyway, good luck!

Alex said...

This is a recipe for pure summer bliss! I plan on be eating this well into the fall and winter too, maybe swapping out the berries for figs and apples! Thanks, Amelia!