summer berry delight

My friend Mandy from work gave me some rasberries the other day. I was excited because there was a recipe I found on one of my favorite blogs I have been wanting to make (http://www.shutterbean.com/). So I attempted to replicate it and well....it turned out pretty tasty. As an amateur cook/baker, I like recipes that are easy and quick. This was a winner.  Instead of using regular milk, I opted for soy milk so Grant could enjoy the treat. I have been making smoothies with soy milk and that seems to work for lactose intolerant tummies without too much of a change in flavor.  This is the perfect treat to a hot summer day.

 

Little Summer Berry Puddings

Makes 4
(recipe from The Canal House Cookbook, Vol. 1)

• 4 cups fresh raspberries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 12 slices white bread, crusts removed
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup softly whipped cream

1.   Put the raspberries in a bowl and sprinkle the sugar over them. Shake the bowl to mix them together without crushing the berries. Set aside to macerate for half an hour.

2.   You will need four 6-8-ounce ramekins for your pudding molds. Cut a circle out of each slice of bread, using a ramekin as a template. Pour the milk into a wide dish.

3.   Working with one circle of bread at a time, quickly dip the bread into the milk until just moist but not soggy, then press it into one of the ramekins, lining the bottom. Cover the layer of bread with a generous layer of berries. Make another layer with the moistened bread and berries, then add a third circle of moistened bread. The ramekin should be filled to (or even swollen above) the rim. Layer the remaining 3 ramekins in the same fashion, using the remaining bread and berries. Spoon any juices over the top.

4.   Put the filled ramekins on a small tray or baking dish, loosely cover each one with plastic wrap or parchment paper, and set a heavy dish directly on top of them as a weight to press the layers together. (I used food cans that were wide enough and heavy enough to cover the ramekin)

5.   Refrigerate the puddings until the bread and berries have completely melded together, about 4 hours. They'll keep well in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

6.   To serve, uncover the ramekins and run a small knife around the inside edges. Invert each pudding onto a dessert plate and unmold it gently. Sprinkle the puddings with some sugar and put a nice spoonful of whipped cream on top.