July 23rd, 2008

Okay sorry!!!!! Been a bit busy of late. You can read about some of what I have been up to over on My World . I have been cooking honestly, but nothing really spectacular. Just quick everyday type of meals.... I did find a new product, or rather Brian found it. A non dairy whip cream substitute. We were having Hamish and Yuk-kin around for lunch and I made a summer pudding and I wanted some whipping cream to go with it. But since Hamish can't have dairy it was going to be custard instead. Brian was picking some things up for me when he spied the Soya whipping cream. So never give up hope in searching for that special ingredient. It tastes sweet so you don't need to add sugar to it and personally it didn't need much whipping. And it was just perfect with the summer pudding.

This is the German side of the box.


And this is the English side of the box.

Summer Pudding

I did make a second summer pudding and Brian and I had it with Ice cream. Which was nice too. For all my friends who don't know what a summer pudding is.... Here is my recipe for it. Take a bowl and line it with cling film/saran wrap. Then take some white bread slices (the kind of bread you shouldn't be eating) and take the crusts off. (I gave the birds the crusts after I put some peanut butter on it for them. Boy did they like that!) Now you can butter the slices if you like but it isn't necessary. Place into the lined bowl, lining the sides and bottom with the bread. Making sure to overlap the slices a little.

In a sauce pan combine about 1/2 cup caster sugar and a little port or water or fruit juice, enough to disolve the sugar in. And boil this for about 10 minutes till it slightly thickens. Next add lots of fruit -- a mix of Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, currants, cherries, black berries.... I even added a gooseberry or two to the syrup and boil for another minute or so. (You will want to make sure to have loads of fruit and extra will be used for serving if you have more than enough.) Let cool slightly. With a slotted spoon, spoon the fruit into the bread lined bowl. Some of the juice is fine and reserve the rest of the juice and fruits. Once you have filled it as full as you can leaving about a 3/4 inch gap at the top. Cover with more crustless bread slices. And then the cling film. Now you will need to weight it down by placing the bowl inside a roasting tin or another bowl to catch the juices. And put a saucer on top. Then I put a plastic bag full of pennies ontop to weigh it down and into the fridge to set over night. This compacts the fruit and bread to help it hold it's shape. When serving unmold onto a plate and serve with the remaining juice and fruit. Also decorate with some fresh fruit and berries. Serve with custard, whipped cream or ice cream. Enjoy!!!! And it is good for you!!! Part of your 5 a day!!!! What a bonus!!!

You may have to fight Jingles off!!! He wasn't keen on the fruit, but enjoyed the ice cream. Silly cat!!!!


Update to post - The amount of fruit and bread will all depend on what size container you are using. For the one in the photo I used roughly about 6 cups of mixed fruit or a bit more. You can also make this in mini form by using ramekins. Also larger by using a larger bowl. Sorry if I have confused anyone on the recipe.