Indulge in summer puddings
Get creative with the fruits of this season, writes Diana Henry
‘Instead of serving it in bowls buy ice cream cones and offer it like that’
Summer puddings basically mean fruit to me – pure and simple – maybe ice cream as well, maybe a bit of cake on the side (almond is always brilliant with summer fruits). But as you stand in front of punnets of berries, peaches – nowadays that includes the wonderful floral-scented white variety – plums, melons and apricots there can be no arguing with the abundance of summer fruit, or its seductiveness.
Often there is nothing better than plain fruit – a bowl of Scottish raspberries, for example – with good cream. But, especially when friends come over, I think I should ofer a pudding that’s a bit more special (and the cook in me always wants to “make” something).
There are easy dishes that fll the middle ground between a bowl of strawberries and a tiered meringue that looks like a pièce montée. Poach peaches or nectarines in sweetened fruit tea (apple and elderfower tea is good), or in red wine and basil (you need 600ml of red wine, the juice of half a lemon, 225g sugar and a bunch of basil for six peaches).
Cook the halved fruit until tender, remove the basil and reduce the liquid until it’s slightly syrupy, then leave it to cool. Serve with whipped cream and a few basil leaves. Peaches in wine takes even less trouble. Just slice perfectly ripe peaches into a bowl, add Muscat de Beaumes de Venise or sweet Marsala, cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
You can do something similar with strawberries – sprinkle them with sugar, add enough beaujolais to just cover them and chill. Some crème fraiche and a few langues de chat biscuits, and you have a simple but chic end to a summer meal.
Fruit compotes are probably my favourite summer pudding. The sugar syrup can be favoured with all sorts of ingredients that will surprise guests and keep you ringing the changes. Ginger and star anise are good favours for peaches and plums. A little elderfower cordial – I use Bottlegreen – added to a syrup for chunks of melon, blackberries and raspberries is fresh and light, while lavender is heavenly with apricots.
I won’t tell you to stay away from complicated summer puddings because I do complex ones myself sometimes, despite the heat. Layers of hazelnut meringue sandwiched together with cream and flled with poached apricots is lovely, or go for a big almond pavlova covered in cream whipped with amaretto and topped with roasted apricots or plums (or slices of perfectly ripe raw peaches or nectarines).
And remember that trifles aren’t just for Christmas. Lay slices of chocolate sponge, spread with good raspberry jam and doused in sweet white wine or port, in a bowl with fresh raspberries, a layer of vanilla custard (Waitrose’s Seriously Creamy Madagascan Vanilla Custard is excellent) and top it with whipped cream (two tablespoons of crème de cassis added to the cream is good, too). If you want something less rich, use sponge fngers, whisky, poached pears and raspberries.
Don’t forget ice cream. You don’t have to make your own: the range on ofer is huge and there’s some really good stuf, but you can make it special. Instead of serving it in bowls, buy ice cream cones and ofer it like that (it’ll feel as if you’re on holiday). Or go Sicilian: stuf warm brioche buns (or slices of toasted brioche) with chocolate, almond or pistachio ice cream (you can stud it with strawberries or raspberries) and serve wrapped in greaseproof paper.
Soon we’ll be back to apples, pears and cool-weather pies. Indulge in summer puddings while you can.