Melba Summer Pudding Recipe

Serves 4, prep time: 20 mins +30 mins to cool and overnight stand. Cooking time 10 mins

Ingredients for Melba Summer Pudding:

• 450gms ripe apricots, stoned and quartered
• 225gms peaches or nectarines, skinned, halved, stoned and sliced
• 60gms soft light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 115gms redcurrants, topped and tailed
• 115gms raspberries
• 6 slices wholemeal bread (or white if you prefer) ¼ inch thick, crusts removed
• Sprigs of mint to decorate.

Method for Melba Summer Pudding:

1. Put the apricots and peaches or nectarines in a saucepan with the sugar and water. Cook, covered over a moderate heat for 5 mins. until the fruit begins to soften. Gently stir in the redcurrants and raspberries, and cook until the juice turns red, but the fruit remains whole.  Leave to cool for 30 mins.
2. Cut 1 slice of bread into a round and fit it in the bottom of a 1.1/2 pint (850ml) pudding basin, and then line the sides with the remaining bread, trimming of the slices, with scissors to get a good snug fit, and then trim off the bread level with the basin rim.
3. Set aside 5 tablespoons of the fruit juice.  and spoon the fruit and the remaining juice into the basin without disturbing the bread up to 1/2 inch from the top.  Cover the fruit with the bread, trimming it to fit inside the lined sides.  Then spoon a little of the reserved juice over the top, covering the bread to colour it.   Cover the remaining juice and refrigerate.
4. Cover the bread with non-stick baking paper, and place on top a small plate that fits in side the rim of the basin.Weight the plate and stand in a wide dish to collect any juice that overflows and refrigerate overnight.
5. Uncover the pudding and run a knife round to loosen from the basin and then turn out the pudding onto a serving dish.  Spoon the reserved fruit over any patches of bread that are not already saturated with juice.
6. Decorate with mint sprigs and serve.   Now you can go 2 ways,  either serve with Low Fat Creme Frais, or with cream, it’s your choice!