One unlikely fruit makes this summer pudding the berry best
When berry season comes around, I practically hear trumpets announcing the fruit’s arrival at the local market.
I am reliably ready to pounce — eager to pile the plump beauties onto my yogurt bowls, work them into salads, blend them into smoothies and bake them into pies and muffins.
When I first encountered this classic U.K. dessert — what Britons call a “pudding” — I was enthralled. It is stunning, with a cascade of berries mingling with layers of bread soaked and pressed in the fruit’s brilliantly hued juices.
The dish has the quality of an elegantly plated, berry-soaked sponge cake, but besides the fruit, it is made with little more than humble slices of bread. The usual recipe involves heaps of sugar, though, so I decided to take a stab at a better-for-you version and was thrilled with the result.
The key twist is to take advantage of the inherent sweetness of ripe bananas, which are not a typical summer pudding component. Stirring the mashed banana into the juice that is rendered from heating the berries adds enough sweetness that only a little honey is needed to round it out, plus you get the added layer of banana flavour that pairs so well with strawberries and blueberries.
I also used whole-grain bread instead of white, a change that gives the dessert a somewhat healthier sensibility without sacrificing an essential tender, meltin-your mouth quality. This is a treat that is truly worthy of its very special star ingredient.
Summer Berry-Banana Puddings
You’ll need six 1-cup ramekins. The puddings need to be refrigerated for at least six hours, and up to one day in advance.
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
12 slices soft whole-wheat bread, crusts removed (6 ounces total) 2 cups sliced strawberries, plus more for optional garnish 2 cups blueberries, plus more for optional garnish 2 cups raspberries ¼ cup water 3 tablespoons honey 2 very ripe medium bananas ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Cut a round from each piece of bread that will just fit into your 1cup ramekins. (Save the remaining scraps of bread for another use, such as bread crumbs.)
Combine the berries, water and honey in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; cook for about five minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the berries break down. While the berry mixture is still hot, mash the banana with a fork until smooth, then stir it into the berry mixture, along with the vanilla extract.
Place a heaping tablespoon of the berry-banana mixture in each ramekin. Add one round of bread to each, then divide the remaining berry-banana mixture among the ramekins and top each with another round of bread. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet (to catch any overflowing juices during baking). Loosely cover each one with plastic wrap, then place a 15-ounce weight, such as a can of beans, on top of each one to compress the pudding. Refrigerate for at least six hours, and up to one day.
To serve, remove the plastic wrap. Run a knife along the sides of the pudding, then invert each one into a dessert glass or onto a plate. Garnish with the fresh berries, if using.
Per serving: 230 calories, 5 grams protein, 51 g carbohydrates, 2 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 125 mg sodium, 8 g dietary fibre, 26 g sugar