Almost Summer Pudding Recipe
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This is called “Almost Summer Pudding” because we’re making it with the first berries of spring. As in the beloved British dessert known as summer pudding, the berries marry up with bread and liqueur for a sweet, floral, glorious treat. The brioche in this pudding doesn’t come out as dark red as the bread in other summer puddings, but rest assured that it is soaked thoroughly and the end result would do any Brit proud.
Game plan: Be sure to start this recipe a day in advance, as the pudding needs to rest 24 hours before serving.
This recipe was featured as part of both our Resurrecting Easter Brunch menu and our Picnic Recipes photo gallery.
- 2 pounds washed, hulled, and quartered strawberries
- 1 pound raspberries
- 12 ounces blueberries
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier
- 10 (3/4-inch-thick) slices brioche, crusts removed
- Chilled whipped cream, for serving
- Combine berries, sugar, and orange liqueur in a large, nonreactive bowl and stir to coat the fruit. Let rest at room temperature, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour, so the mixture releases its juices.
- Meanwhile, butter a 1-quart bowl and line it with enough plastic wrap so at least 6 inches is hanging off on all sides. Press the plastic wrap into the bowl so there are no air bubbles.
- Line the inside of the prepared bowl with brioche slices, cutting them as necessary to fit snugly. (You may have to overlap the slices, and you should have a few left over to cover berries.) Set aside.
- Once the fruit has rested, pour the berries and juices into the brioche-lined bowl, pressing down so they all fit. Top with remaining brioche, taking care to cover exposed berries. Press firmly on the top bread pieces to flatten them and push the juices into the bread. Cover the bread with the overhanging plastic wrap and place a plate (small enough to fit just inside the bowl) on top. Put 6 to 7 pounds of weight on the plate (large cans of tomatoes work well), and place the bowl in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
- To unmold the pudding, remove the plate, unwrap the plastic, invert the bowl onto a serving platter, and lift off the bowl. Remove the plastic wrap and serve the pudding sliced, with whipped cream and additional berries if desired.
Beverage pairing: Doisy-Daëne Sauternes, France. Something sweet and racy will be nice with this dessert, and any number of sweet wines could work. In this case, a good choice is Sauternes. Its peach, pear, and apricot flavors will complement but not mimic the berries, and it has the weight and richness to hold up against the cream.
Well, I wrote a long message that got wiped out when I tried to enter my user information and had to take a detour to get a new password. So this will be short: The brioche (purchased at Whole Foods) worked great for us. Grownups and kids liked the pudding and ate it all. I believe none of the previous posters made this dish or they would have noticed that a 1 quart dish is TOO SMALL. Folks, for this recipe, you need a 2 (two) quart bowl. Also, stacking cans on top of the pudding won't work unless you are using an industrial sized can of something nice and heavy. We used an unopened 1/2 gallon of juice, on its side, topped by a tub of yogurt. The yogurt tub didn't slide off because the entire combo - pudding/quart-juice-on-side/tub - was wedged in place between the top shelf and the inside ceiling of the fridge.
flameworker, no way - brioche is simply too rich and has too coarse a crumb. You need good old-fashioned white bread, preferably slightly stale. It's the traditional ingredient in many desserts such as bread-and-butter pudding, bread pudding and summer pudding not only for reasons of thrift but also because it prevents the finished result from being overly rich or sweet.
The awesome thing about summer pudding is that, if made well, it doesn't taste much sweeter than plain, ripe, delicious summer fruits do on their own. Once the white bread is thoroughly soaked in the juices, it is plenty tasty enough - after all, do you think toast and berry jam is disgusting? I expect not, and this is a similar flavour combo, though obviously a much soggier texture...
You can use Pannetone much better for these types of desserts - plain flavor or orange.
Most summer pudding recipes I've made simply call for "bread" and are utterly disgusting. MMMM. wet bread, sugar and fruit? Yeah that sounds good. Brioche might be slightly better, but I have to agree with crescentcitybaby, pound cake is definitely the way to go.
Can I sub OJ for the liqueur? It seems as if it would be too acidic..
I also want one for a birthday cake! I think Pound Cake sounds like a great idea!
I want this for my birthday cake! Yummmm!
If you think that the Brioche is to "Bready" and Angel Food Cake maybe to "soft" use Pound Cake. Its dense, a little sweet. But depending on the size you may need a couple of loaves.
I treasure the time I watched Julia Child make this bread-and-fruit pudding and it fell apart. Since then have never had the nerve to try it.
I've made it with frozen berries (mixture) and I use a loaf of Italian bread, sliced. Brioche makes it a bit heavy.
Does anyone know if I could use frozen strawberries or would they be too juicy after defrosting?
jsdeman -- just in case you live near a Trader Joes and didn't realise this -- they have a marvellous Brioche Loaf in their bread section that would be perfect for this recipe.
Though now that I've read angusb's comment ^ I am not sure if I want to try it... I think s/he has a point!
Yes, it sounds easy and looks pretty, but it tastes like berries and soggy brioche. Don't knock yourself out trying to find or make brioche just to use it in this recipe, it is really not worth it.
What about substituting brioche angels' food cake? Would that work or is not dense enough?
This is a wonderful idea for a summer party. I am going to try it this weekend. Wow great Job!
here's a great brioche recipe in case you either can't find any or you're really ambitious.
1 quart milk
1 quart eggs
2 pounds butter, melted, not hot
7 1/2 pounds bread flour
1 1/2 ounces salt
1 1/2 pounds sugar
5 ounces yeast
1. combine all dry including yeast
2. add milk and eggs and mix until combined
3. add melted butter and mix on 2-3 speed for approx. 10 minutes
4. cover and let rise until doubled
5. punch downand rest covered on table
6. cut, scale and round
7. proof until doubled, should be springy
8. egg wash and bake at 400 for 5 min, then 340 until done
why not try lady fingers
I am going to prepare it soon. It looks really good and it seems very easy to prepare. Thanks for sharing!
jsdeman,
High-quality white sandwich bread would work (a.k.a not Wonder Bread). If you can find Challah that would work too.
I can't seem to find brioche anywhere. I made it with regular french bread, and it was okay. I mostly just ate the fruit. Does anyone have any suggestions for what I can sub out for the brioche?
Wow. Sounds easy, looks like art!
ridiculously beautiful.