Winter Pudding with Stewed & Spiced Dried Fruit
This pudding is a take on Summer pudding made with brown gluten free bread and poached dried fruit
- Serving: 4
- Preparation time: Less than 30 mins + overnight chilling
- Cooking time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 200g stoned prunes
- 200g stoned apricots
- 200g dried figs, stalks removed and halved
- 100g dried apple rings
- 750ml strong Earl Grey
- 250ml apple juice
- 1tablespoon Calvados
- 3 strips of paired zest of 1 orange
- 2 strips of lemon zest
- 100g/4oz dark Muscovado sugar
- 3-4 cloves
- 1x2inch piece cinnamon stick
- ¼ tsp mixed spice
- 2 strips of lemon zest
- 1star anise
- 6-9 slices Genius brown bread, crusts removed
Method
- Soak the mixed dried fruits in the Calvados and 1 litre of strong tea to just cover. Leave overnight.
- Pour into a saucepan, add the apple juice, sugar, cloves, cinnamon, mixed spice, orange and lemon zest and star anise. Bring to the boil and simmer slowly until the fruits are soft. This will take about 10 minutes. Strain the fruit and set aside. Remove the cloves, cinnamon, lemon and orange zest and star anise.
- Return the juices to the pan and reduce by half.
- Take a 1.2litre/2pint/5 cup pudding basin. Using a pastry cutter, cut a round of bread from one slice. Cut the remaining bread in half on the diagonal. Dip the each piece of bread into the cooking juices and line the inside of the pudding basin with them, taking care to ensure that each slice slightly overlaps the next. Place a round shape on the bottom. Press the bread tightly against sides of basin.
- Spoon the fruit into the basin and then pour in just enough juice to moisten. Save the rest of the juice.
- Cover the fruit with the remaining bread.
- Fit a plate on top so that it rests on the bread just below the rim.
- Stand the basin in a larger bowl - this will catch any juices that escape.
- Place a weight on the plate and chill overnight.
- Next day, turn the pudding out on to a plate and pour the reserved juice over the pudding and serve with crème fraiche.
