The first time I prepared a British summer pudding, the final result was…well, I guess it came out resembling exactly what it was – white sandwich bread, made florescent pink and soggy with fruit juice and mushy berries.
The result was underwhelming. It was just…um…bad.
The recipe went in the trash bin and I didn’t think upon summer pudding again. Thanks, but no thanks.
These last few weeks, I’ve been staring at a package of Italian savoiardi cookies left over from my limoncello tiramisu recipe. I’ve been trying to decide how to best use them (soak them in rum syrup and use them in place of Nilla wafers in banana pudding? Yes please!), when I remembered summer pudding. Savoiardi’s, or ladyfingers’, sole purpose, in my opinion, is to soak up liquid and, lord knows, they taste a hell of a lot better than crust-less Wonder bread. Perhaps this is what was needed to elevate the pud to something worthwhile. And with that idea, and eight cups of summer berries, Italian Summer Pudding was born.
Italian Summer Pudding
A refreshing use of Summer’s bounty of fresh berries.
Ingredients
- 8 cups mixed fresh berries (sliced strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 T. orange liqueur (such as Triple Sec)
- 20-24 ladyfinger cookies (Savoiardi)
- Freshly whipped cream
Directions
- Cook berries, sugar and zest in large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until berries release their juice and sugar has dissolved, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in orange liqueur. Drain fruit, reserving juice and fruit separately and cool slightly.
- While berries are cooling, line a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap. Briefly soak ladyfingers in berry juice and tightly line loaf pan with a single layer, trimming them to fit, if needed.
- Spread ½ of cooked berries on ladyfingers. Repeat with another layer of soaked ladyfingers, berries, and ladyfingers (when you’re done, you should have 3 layers of ladyfingers and 2 layers of berries). Drizzle a few spoonfuls of remaining juice over top layer to ensure everything is well soaked, cover with plastic wrap, and weigh with a plate or dish and heavy cans. Refrigerate at least 8 and up to 48 hours.
- Remove weights and plastic wrap. To unmold, invert onto serving platter. Lift off loaf pan and remove plastic wrap. Garnish with freshly whipped cream and serve.
Two-Bit Tart 
This looks delicious. Love such a wonderful light summery dessert!
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