An intensely flavored raspberry dessert.
Stew raspberries and red currants with sugar (no water) for only 2 or 3 minutes. Leave to cool.
Line a round, fairly deep dish with slices of day-old bread, crusts removed, and sliced 3/8 inch thick. The dish must be completely lined, bottom and sides, with no space through which the juice can escape. Small wedges of bread are good for filling any gaps.
Strain the fruit lightly, reserving the juice; refrigerate the juice. Fill the bread lined dish with the fruit. Cover the fruit with a complete layer of bread. On top put a container, such as an empty kitchen canister, which fits exactly inside the dish and in the container put a 2 to 3-pound weight, such as a full can or bottle. Leave overnight in the refrigerator.
The bread should turn completely red. If there are any white bits left, feed it a little of the reserved juice.
When ready to serve, turn the pudding out onto a dish with a rim to catch the juice. Serve with the reserved juice, and thick cream to pour over.
Serves 4
Elizabeth David, Summer Cooking, 1955
Below is the recipe divided in two for two people. The ratio of fruit filling to bread is not as good, but it is still pretty delicious.
Stew raspberries and red currants with sugar (no water) for only 2 or 3 minutes. Leave to cool.
Line a round, fairly deep dish with slices of day-old bread, crusts removed, and sliced 3/8 inch thick. The dish must be completely lined, bottom and sides, with no space through which the juice can escape. Small wedges of bread are good for filling any gaps.
Strain the fruit lightly, reserving the juice; refrigerate the juice. Fill the bread lined dish with the fruit. Cover the fruit with a complete layer of bread. On top put a container, such as an empty kitchen canister, which fits exactly inside the dish and in the container put a 2 to 3-pound weight, such as a full can or bottle. Leave overnight in the refrigerator.
The bread should turn completely red. If there are any white bits left, feed it a little of the reserved juice.
When ready to serve, turn the pudding out onto a dish with a rim to catch the juice. Serve with the reserved juice, and thick cream to pour over.
Serves 2