Summer Pudding

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Lifetime subscriber Debra Shervo writes:

Chef, I swear on a stack of cookbooks that the following story is
true. It was autumn, 1970. I was seventeen, and I had a part-time
job waitressing at the new restaurant in town, a Country Kitchen.
They'd built it right next door to a truck stop/diner known for its
good food. From time to time we'd get a curious trucker coming over
to check out our menu (and probably the waitresses). One Saturday I
was working the counter when a middle-aged man came in and quietly sat
down in front of me. In my best new waitress professional manner, I
asked what I could get for him. He looked up, smiled, and said, "I'll
have the sheep herder's special." Thinking I was going to learn some
cool new waitressing lingo, I innocently asked, "What's a sheep
herder's special?" His eyes twinkled and his smile broadened to a
grin as he replied, "a cup of coffee and a little ewe." That got a
giggle out of me. And a cup of coffee.

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            TODAY'S RECIPE
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This recipe gets extra points for being virtually fat-free (if you
say "no" to the optional whipped cream) and because it isn't as
cloyingly sweet as many English desserts tend to be.

Summer Pudding

8 cups (2 L) fresh raspberries, blackberries, blueberries,
or combination of berries
1 1/4 cups (310 ml) sugar
10-12 slices sturdy, homemade-style white bread, crusts removed
1 cup heavy cream, whipped (optional)

Mix the berries and sugar in a large mixing bowl, stirring and tossing
them gently until all the sugar is dissolved. Set aside. Cut a piece
of bread to fit the bottom of a 2-quart (2 L) English pudding basin,
mixing bowl, or charlotte mold and set it in place. Cut 6 or 7 pieces
of bread into wedge-shaped pieces and line the sides of the bowl,
overlapping the bread slightly. Spoon the berries into the bread
lining and top with the remaining bread. Cover the bowl with a flat
plate or pot lid, place a 4 to 5 pound (2 Kg) weight on top, and
refrigerate for at least 12 hours. To unmold, place a large platter
upside down over the bowl and invert the two simultaneously - the
pudding should slide out of the bowl easily. Serve with whipped cream
if desired. Serves 6 to 8.
Received on Fri Jun 25 10:21:31 2004