I really love it when the weather changes and even into the evening you can have windows open. The air might be slightly cool, but it’s a pleasant chill, a refreshing chill. Once summer is here I have the windows open all the time; it’s seemed this year that summer would never come – certainly we had hardly any spring, just a long dreary winter, with intermittent snow. The weather might not be perfect, but summer is here and the windows are open.
Many people welcome summer with seasonal meals; now are shops are full of every product all the year round it has become less special. I really wish I liked summer pudding, because it looks so nice, but I am just not a dessert person – although I enjoy making them! Here’s a couple of recipes from my 1920’s cookery book:
Summer pudding
- 1½ lbs of black currants, topped – or any sharp tasting fruit such as damsons, raspberries, red or white currants
- 4-6 oz sugar according to taste
- ½ a stale loaf, cut in thick slices
- ½ pint custard or cream (or why not have both/!)
- stew the fruit and sugar gently in a little water
- line a pudding basin with the slices of bread, reserving a slice for the top
- spoon in the fruit, top with the spare slice cut to shape
- put a saucer or small plate on top and weight to press it, leave for 24 hours
- turn out onto a plate, pour over cream/custard or serve separately
Summer delight
- ¼ lb raspberries, and ½ lb cherry plums
- 3 dsp sugar
- 1 oz sponge cake, crumbled
- custard made with 1 egg yolk, ¼ pint milk, a little sugar, vanilla
- vanilla
- angelica
- whipped cream
- stalk, cook with 2 dsp sugar and stone plums and rub through a sieve
- mash raspberries and add to the plums with remaining sugar
- fold in cooled custard
- place in stemmed glasses, decorate with whipped cream, extra raspberries and thins slivers of angelica
Lois Elsden 