With a glut of berries now coming into season, what better way to celebrate, than with a simple summer pudding, referred to many as the king of puddings. If fresh berries are unavailable, we use frozen whole berries at Wickedfood Cooking School.

Summer pudding_6001kg summer fruits – A mix of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, red and blackcurrants, or any other available berries
1/2 cup water
150g castor sugar
10 slices slightly stale thin white bread, crusts removed

  1. Check over the fruit and remove all stalks and blemishes.
  2. Place the water and sugar into a large pan and bring to the boil.
  3. Add the firmest, most acidic fruits first leaving the strawberries and raspberries until last. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 3-5 minutes. The redcurrant and blackcurrants should begin to burst slightly. Taste the fruit and stir in more castor sugar if necessary.
  4. Drain the fruit into a large colander and save the juice. Allow the fruit to cool.
  5. Save half the juice to dip the bread into. Place the remaining juice back into the pan and reduce until slightly syrupy, set aside for the sauce.
  6. When the fruit is cool, begin to assemble the summer puddings.
  7. Use 4 large ramekins or teacups.
  8. Cut 4 of the slices of bread in half and then each half into 4 triangles.
  9. From the other slices, cut 2 discs from each slice of bread, 1 small for the base and one large for the top of the pudding.
  10. Dip the bread, a few pieces at a time, into the thinner syrup and line the ramekins or teacups. Place the small circle on the bottom and the triangles around the sides.
  11. Fill each with a little fruit mix and use the larger circle to top the pudding. Wrap in cling film up and cover . Place onto a tray and when all the puddings are done put another tray on the top with a weight of some kind to press the puddings.
  12. Chill for at least a couple of hours and serve with the reduced sauce and fresh summer berries.

Serves 4

Wickedfood Cooking School

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Wickedfood cooking school in Johannesburg runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Cookery classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). This team building venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference. Thinking of team building ideas in Johannesburg, look no further.

Our cooking classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.