Summer Berry Pudding

      Chris Ford, pastry chef at Washington, D.C.s Rogue 24, brings this British-style "pudding" to
                                 picnics and BBQs. Serve with whipped cream and more berries.

                                                            Photograph by Romulo Yanes

On Sunday, Sara and I went over to the boy's apartment for our ritual "True Blood" night. However, this night was different, very different. The boys were trusting us with their dinner. Sara and I were going to cook and bake (Scary).  

Last week, I found an amazing recipe from Bon Appetite for this amazingly delicious and refreshing looking, with a more appropriate title, Summer Berry Pudding. 

Since any sort of bread pudding is my favorite dessert, I knew this one was probably going to rock my socks off as well! The pudding had to refrigerate for two or more hours so after brunch at Clover Club on Smith Street, Sara and I headed to the store to pick up our ingredients and set off on our journey to make sure the guys had an appropriate dinner.

Of course, neither of us are fancy bakers and didn't have the slightest idea what a springform pan was so, we splurged and used a square glass brownie pan. Whatever works right? I honestly didn't even use the correct amount of ingredients, I pretty much used whatever seemed to fit into the glass pan. 

It was quick, easy and the best part, the glass pan we used had a cover. We popped on the cover, set it in the fridge to chill and Sara delivered it to the boys apartment with no harm done to the pudding or her bag. We were worried about the berry juice leaking. 

After a delicious and filling dinner, Sara and I chopped more fresh berries. We used a plate to flip the pudding upside down, added some fresh berries and saved a little extra sauce to drizzle on top. Let me tell you, the end result was pretty fantastic! 

I hope everyone has the same results! Please let me know how yours turns out! P.S. We ate it so quickly, I forgot to snap a photo! 

Summer Berry Pudding

10 servings

Prep: 30 min                                                    

Total: 1 1/2 hours                                

Recipe by Chris Ford of Rogue 24 in Washington, D.C.

Ingredients

2 pints strawberries, hulled, quartered

2 pints blueberries2 pints raspberries

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1 1-lb. loaf brioche or challah bread, cut crosswise into 1" slices

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Special equipment:

A 9"-10"-diameter springform pan

Preparation

• Line pan with plastic wrap. Place on a rimmed baking sheet. Combine all berries, 1 cup sugar, and 1/2 cup water in a large pot. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes. Set berry sauce aside.
  
  
• Spread bread slices with butter. Mix remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle over bread slices.
  
  
• Drizzle 1/2 cup warm berry sauce over bottom of pan. Line pan with a single layer of bread, cutting to fit as needed. Pour 1 1/2 cups berry sauce over. Repeat layering 2 more times. Pour any remaining sauce over. Cover with plastic. Set a plate slightly smaller than pan on top of pudding to weigh down, keeping bread submerged. Chill for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. 
  
  
  Remove plate and plastic from top of pudding. Invert onto a plate. Release pan sides; remove pan and plastic.
  
  
  
  

  Nutritional Information

  One serving contains:
  Calories (kcal) 376.2
  %Calories from Fat 23.9
  Fat (g) 10.0
  Saturated Fat (g) 5.0
  Cholesterol (mg) 41.1
  Carbohydrates (g) 70.5
  Dietary Fiber (g) 9.9
  Total Sugars (g) 35.2
  Net Carbs (g) 60.5
  Protein (g) 6.4
  Sodium (mg) 225.2