Orchard pudding recipe

By Tom Norrington-Davies

Serves 4
Takes 30 minutes to make, plus cooling and standing for at least 3 hours
Rate 1 star Rate 2 stars Rate 3 stars Rate 4 stars Rate 5 stars
Rating

A seasonal spin on summer pudding. I’d always thought that this would be supremely possible but never attempted it, and it just so happens that it’s a delight – especially with its upside-down suet bowl shape. Some years ago, I started making the odd summer pudding with Madeira cake, which I buy and freeze for such occasions. I like it for its trifle-like texture. By all means use the more traditional loaf of white bread.

Ingredients

2 (about 300g) apples
2 (about 300g) pears
3 large (about 300g) plums
Juice of 1 orange
1 generous tbsp sharpish jam (I used a quince preserve, just to labour the point)
1 tbsp caster sugar
150ml Madeira wine or sweet sherry
1 Madeira cake or loaf of stale white bread, crusts removed and cut into thin slices

Method

1. Line a medium pudding basin (about 1 litre) with cling film and press firmly into the base and the sides. Leave enough overhanging the edges to cover the top later.
2. Peel, core and slice the apples and pears. Stone and roughly chop the plums. Pop all the fruit into a saucepan with the orange juice, jam and sugar. Stir everything together and bring to a simmer over a gentle heat. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the fruit is soft but still holding its shape. Allow it to cool completely in the juices.
3. Dilute the Madeira wine with about 3 tablespoons of the fruit juices and, one by one, briefly dunk each slice of cake or bread in the liquid. Starting at the base, line the inside of the pudding basin with the slices, as for a summer pudding. Then fill with the fruit and top with cake or bread to enclose it completely. Wrap the overhanging cling film over the top, and cover with a weighted flat-based bowl or plate. Leave for at least 3 hours, or preferably overnight.
4. Peel back the cling film and invert the bowl over a serving dish. If the pudding doesn’t slide out easily, tap the base with a wooden spoon. Serve with crème fraîche.