Thursday, August 26, 2010

WHY have I never made Summer Pudding before???????


Pray tell...what is this lurid image I see before me? Why it is a Summer Pudding...a deceptively, almost cheekily simple dessert from the Isle of Blighty!! WHY have I never made it before...because I have always thought it is too simple to be truly good...was I right..NO I WASN'T...it is SSSOOOOOOOOO good, it so transcends the sum of it's parts, it is sublime and anyone can make it...really anyone!!
All you need is some good soft, summer fruits...I used just blackberries and raspberries but if you are lucky enough to have on hand red, white and/or blackcurrants, strawberries, loganberries, cherries or blueberries you can use any combination of two or three or all of them...

THE RECIPE:
8ozs raspberries

8ozs blackberries
(or 1lb of the above fruits in whatever combination you are inclined to use them)

4oz / 1/2 cup of sugar

about 4/6 slices of good white bread...something with a bit of backbone not the squushy stuff
THAT'S IT for the ingredients!!...well also some lightly sweetened whipped cream to finish.

1. Combine the fruits and sugar in a heavy pan and bring to a slight boil, stir gently and simmer for a brief minute. Take off the heat.

2 Cut the crusts off the white bread slices and line a medium sized pudding bowl with them...I did this in a rather haphazard manner but if you are somewhat organized you can cut the bread into triangles and apparently that'll make your life easier with the fitting of the curves, leaving no gaps and saving one slice to top the pudding with, as you can see below I ran out of my sliced white loaf and ended up using some baguettes slices but that's a bit naughty!!

3. Spoon half the berries and juice into the lined pudding basin, then add the crusts (not traditional but I didn't want to throw the crusts away and this gave my pudding a little more structure), or a circle torn from one slice of bread to fit in the bowl, and finish with the rest of the berries and juice.

4. Then cover the pudding with the final slices of bread torn to fit...not like mine with baguette slices!!!
5. Now find a saucer or similar...I used the top of a yoghourt container, and place some weight on to the saucer...I put a bottle of cider vinegar in a small flat bottomed bowl, and leave in the fridge overnight to settle.

6. Next day take the weights off and run a knife around the edge of the pudding to loosen it from the bowl...I also ended up dipping the bowl into hot water to help loosen...then invert the bowl onto a plate...good luck with this part!!

7. Dollop oodles of lightly whipped, lightly sugared cream around the screaming magenta pudding and eat to your hearts content...this pudding will not stay around for long so plan on having all the ingredients to hand the next day to make another...that's what I'm going to do!!
 I am thoroughly gobsmacked that this simple dessert is so delicious and could kick myself for never having tried it before...I am a total Summer Pudding convert.

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Friday, August 13, 2010

The Sugar Shack Cupcakery Logo!!

About a month ago a lovely lady from Brooklyn New York called Jill London contacted me through Etsy to request a logo for her Cupcake Bakery "The Sugar Shack"...OF COURSE I was only too happy to comply and above you see the finished result...what fun to design and render in colour pencils and shades of my favourite delicious pink...I hope my logo does her cupcakes justice!!
Here I am drawing the logo on my trusty Aquarelle Watercolour Block which keeps the paper nice and tight and smooth.
...during the process I surround myself with other cupcake drawings to refer back and forth to on colours and style and I have on hand photographs of actual cupcakes to reference details of shadow and light.....to be surrounded by cupcakes is delightful...that they weren't edible was hard!!! Jill doesn't have a website yet but when she does I'll put a link here on my blog to it.

Look at this lovely comment Jill left at my Etsy store, thank you Jill, you were a delight to work with too!!
"What an amazing artist! Not only is she talented but she is such a wonderful person. These past few weeks of working with Patricia I feel like we built not only a business relationship but almost a friendship. Her willingness to help me has been a blessing in so many ways. I feel so lucky to have found her right here on etsy! I would recommend her work to the world! Thanks so much for helping make my dream into a reality!
Much Gratitude,
Jill"

As I neared the completion of the drawing I am sad to say my Little Sweet Pea Puppy Bunny passed away quietly and peacefully in her sleep in her favourite spot, what a lucky girl!! She was old and frail and it was her time which makes it all a little easier to bear but we do miss her dreadfully and thank her for the wonderful time she spent with us. As she was a rescue dog we do not know how old she was but we had her with us for 10 good years.
Bye bye Little Friend xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx