Boozy Summer Pudding – Bread + (Bob Geldof's) Berries + Booze = Brilliant !

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I’ve mentioned my school cookery class before. The course was “How to Make Kids Loathe Food”. Without doubt, it worked for certain dishes – like Summer Pudding. Honestly, how can stuffing bread with a few berries in sweet syrup ever amount to anything, especially if the bread is industrial and the berries from a tin.

When a friend served me Summer Pudding, I poked at it suspiciously remembering the awful school version. However, when I ventured to taste it, my taste buds died and went to heaven. It was one of the sunniest desserts I’ve eaten in a long time. You need to use day-old bread with integrity – that is, with a good springy crumb - and ripe fresh berries. However, the key ingredient is Time – it’s essential for the bread to soak up all the lovely berry juices so make it the day before you need it.

Like any simple dish, it will have a thousand variations. Purists will argue over the type of berries to include. I’ve chosen some of my favourites and included the slightly autumnal blackberries because they were sweet and available, and free (the ones in the picture were from Bob Geldof's garden in Faversham - well they were leaning over the wall...) . Vary the proportions according to preference and availability. In total you’ll need about 1.125 kg of berries.

For a 1 litre pudding serving 4 – 6 people you will need…

400g strawberries

1 tablespoon caster sugar

225g raspberries

225g blackberries

150g redcurrants

125g blueberries

150g caster sugar

3 tablespoons Triple Sec, Cointreau or other orange liqueur

4 tablespoons water

7 – 9 slices of good white bread. This should be a day old, cut into slices 1cm thick, crusts removed

Whipped cream to serve

Method

First choose a few perfect fruits for the top of the pudding and set aside.

Hull and halve the strawberries and place them in a non-metallic bowl. Sprinkle with the tablespoon of sugar.

Place the rest of the fruit in a medium saucepan with the remaining sugar, orange liqueur and water. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved and the fruit has begun to release its juices – this will only take 3 – 5 minutes. You want the fruit to hold its shape as much as possible. As soon as the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and add the strawberries to the pan. Stir gently to distribute them throughout the rest of the fruit. Taste and add more sugar if required.

Line a 1 litre pudding bowl with cling film, leaving an overhang large enough to cover the base of the pudding when folded back across. (It’s easier to line the bowl with two overlapping strips of cling film rather than trying to shape one sheet to fit the bowl.)  Cut a circle from one slice of bread large enough to cover the base of the pudding bowl. Do this as neatly as possible as this will form the top of the finished dessert. Cut and arrange slices of bread to line the sides of the bowl – like a bread patchwork - leaving no gaps. If you have any tendency towards engineering or architecture, this is your moment to shine.

Spoon the warm berries and boozy juice into the lined pudding bowl and finish with a layer of bread to seal in the berries.

Berries n booze n bread should equal bleaughhh... but Alchemy intervenes!

Fold the cling film skirt over the pudding and cover with a small plate or saucer that just fits inside the pudding bowl. Weigh it down – I sit a couple of 400g tins on top of the plate. When it has cooled, transfer it to the fridge and leave it – still weighted – overnight.

To serve, fold back the cling film. Cover the bowl with a large inverted serving plate. Carefully flip the pudding upside down and remove the cling film. Decorate the pudding with the reserved fruit. Cut into wedges and serve with whipped cream.

Note: if you prefer to leave the booze out, substitute it for the same amount of good quality berry cordial (undiluted).

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Blackberry Curd – I’m Wild About It!

Pin It Blackberry season is nearly over and I am making the most of the remaining wild berries. I've made jam, and the cordial has proved really popular with my family who are using it to make everything from blackberry bellinis and mojitos to pancake syrup and the mystery ingredient in a berry compôte. One of my favourite ingredients for a versatile dessert is curd. I love lemon curd, but I’m always happy to experiment. Here’s my latest curd creation.

Berry, berry delicious - blackberry curd stirred into double cream on mini-pavlovas

For a 1Lb jar you will need...

200g caster sugar

2 eggs, beaten
75g butter
100 mls fresh blackberry juice (I made this by pressing 200g fresh berries through a sieve to remove the pips)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1         Place all the ingredients together in a medium saucepan and heat gently over a low heat, stirring all the while. Continue stirring for about 25 minutes until the mixture thickens. Don’t be tempted to leave it even for a moment unless you want blackberry-flavoured scrambled eggs. To check if it is ready, dunk a spoon in the mixture then draw a finger through the mixture that adheres to the spoon. The channel you make should remain. If no channel remains, continue cooking for a further five minutes and test again. It will thicken further as it sets.

2         Pass the mixture through a sieve to ensure it is totally smooth before transferring to a sterilised jar. Cover when cool and store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Wild about blackberries

             

I fold this mixture into whipped cream and use it to fill mini-pavlovas. It is also fantastic used to sandwich a simple Victoria sponge, or to fill a pastry shell. Top with mixed berries. 

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Blackberry and Mint Cordial – Essence of Summer

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My little niece, The Imp, started school yesterday – heaven help them – and with typical back-to-school timing, the weather has changed for the better. It is a perfect day for blackberry-picking.

Little time-capsules of summer...

I like to imagine blackberries as little time-capsules of summer, storing the tiniest rays of sunshine as sweet little jewels, ready to release the most incredible spiced-berry aroma as you turn them into pies, or jams or jellies.

Kids love blackberry picking (for about an hour or so) and it is a great way to spend time with them, to get in some fresh air and exercise, and help them connect food with nature.

Blackberry and Mint Cordial - as it appeared in my imagination...

This time last year, I made bramble jelly after some competitive blackberry-picking. Check it out for some tips on collecting the best berries.

Today, the warm weather has left me thirsting for a cool drink. How about some of my blackberry and mint cordial... (previewed on the Morning Show today on East Coast FM).

From berry to berry-delicious beverage in about 30 minutes

For about 750mls of cordial you will need...

1kg fresh or frozen blackberries (wild, organic if possible)

250mls water

5g fresh mint sprigs (including the stems)

500g sugar (approximately)

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

1          Place the blackberries in a saucepan along with the water and fresh mint. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and use a potato masher or similar to mash the fruit. Don't be tempted to use a blender as crushing the pips can make the juice bitter.

2          Strain the juice through a sieve to remove the pips, extracting as much juice as possible. Measure the juice and add 500g sugar per 500mls of juice.

3          Rinse the saucepan before adding the blackberry juice, sugar, lime juice and vanilla extract. Stir over a gentle heat until the sugar has completely dissolved.

4          Carefully pour the hot cordial into warmed sterilised screw-top bottles (I use my dishwasher to sterilise the bottles and transfer the cordial while the bottles are still hot). A funnel is very useful for this job.

5          Leave the bottles to cool fully before replacing the lids. Store in the fridge and use within a week or two.

This can be used undiluted over ice cream or substituted for the rosehip syrup in my yoghurt pannacotta recipe. As a drink, I dilute this slightly spicy Autumnal syrup with 4 parts sparkling water, or better still, 4 parts sparkling dry wine and lots of ice. Cheers!

Hedgerow heaven... cheers!

Having collected your blackberries, head for the Mountains to Sea literary festival in Dun Laoghaire.  It runs until 11^th September and has a wide range of events suitable for all ages and tastes.

Older kids and teens will love Eoin Colfer, Darren Shan, and Cathy Cassidy while the little ones will enjoy the Picture Book Picnic. Sunday Miscellany will be broadcast live from the festival and is available online for overseas listeners on the RTE Radio 1 website. If you like great writing you’ll love this programme. Guests are always a surprise and have included Man Booker Prize winners and short-listees and I’m very honoured to have been on the show a couple of times myself. Click here for the full festival programme.

The Art of Eating GIVEAWAY is now closed - thanks to all who entered (and those from overseas who would have hopped on the bus to Dun Laoghaire if they could.)

There are still a small number of tickets available. Don't miss this rare chance to hear three fabulous food writers talk about their passion, over lunch.

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Bewitching Bramble Jelly – and the art of (competitive) blackberry picking

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Bewitching Bramble Jelly

Blackberry picking is a very meditative activity. To select the perfect berry, you must concentrate fully on your task. If the berry refuses to be parted from its stalk, then it is probably not yet fully ripe. If the berry tickles away too easily from its thorny anchor, it is probably ‘gone over’.  A berry that yields to a gentle tug is usually just right. Round 2 of the selection process can then follow.

Pick a dry day to gather blackberries...

Turn the berry so you can see its ‘belly-button’ – the white bit that is freshly exposed when you pluck it from the plant (evidently I was snoozing during the biology class that covered plant anatomy). If it is discoloured, or has obvious signs of insect activity, discard and pluck the next purpley-black jewel. Eat the sweetest juiciest ones – purely for quality control purposes, you understand – and take a moment to enjoy the sunshine on your face and the white noise of a million hidden insects, all a humming, and a buzzing and a chirruping.

Choose only the sweetest, juiciest ones...

In all this peace and quiet, I hear my husband yelp every so often as he impales himself on yet another thorny cane and I hear the thunk, thunk, thunk of berries spilling rapidly into his bucket. Is he really ...? Could he seriously...? Can he possibly be... trying to out-pick me? Surely not! Competitive blackberry picking makes just about as much sense as competitive yoga. Ommmmmmmm.

We go back to the house with full buckets for the weigh-in. There are 60 grams in the difference.

“I win!” he crows.

‘Oh do you now!’ I think as I watch him dab antiseptic on a dozen scratches and begin the process of thorn extraction. ‘Ommmmmmmm.’

The question is: What to do with this bounty... pie or jam/jelly? Today, jam/jelly wins. This is a short-lived preserve so don’t be tempted to make large quantities and don’t save it for a rainy day.

Spread on toast, pancakes, sponge cakes and anything else
that can be improved by a little purple-black gold

For about 3 jars of bewitching bramble jelly - depending on size - you will need...

500g ripe blackberries, washed

500g caster sugar

1 lemon

200mls water

A sugar thermometer– if you are likely to make jams and jellies on a regular basis, this is a great investment and usually relatively cheap to buy on the internet.

Sterilised glass jars – I run mine through the dishwasher but you could wash them and pop them in the oven at 100°C (212°F) for a few minutes.

First, place the berries and the water in a thick-based saucepan over a low heat. Cut strips of peel from the lemon (yellow part only) and add to the berries. Add the juice from the lemon, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and stew gently for about 15 minutes.

Next, mash the berries – a potato masher is ideal. Don’t be tempted to use a stick blender here as crushing the seeds can upset the balance of acids and affect the gelling process.

Keeping the heat low, add the sugar, letting it dissolve into the sweet-scented juice. (If someone could make a perfume that smells like this, I’d buy.)

When the sugar has dissolved into the mixture, turn up the heat and pop the sugar thermometer into the saucepan. When the temperature comes up to Jam (106°C or 222°F), keep it there for 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and leave to cool a little for about 5 minutes then remove and discard the lemon peel. For Jam, that’s it - it’s ready now - Alchemy performed. For Jelly, rub the mixture through a sieve to remove all the pips.

Transfer (carefully) to hot, sterilised glass jars. Seal and keep in a cool place for up to 3 weeks.

Note: As an edible gift, these garner big brownie points.

p.s. The bread pictured in the main photo is the Patchwork Party Bread from Alchemy -  Simple Ingredients… Magical Food

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