Summer pudding

“My favourite dessert during the summer months always includes berries of one sort or another,” says Spring and Heckfield Place chef Skye Gyngell. “The climate in this country lends a depth of flavour and intensity that is hard to find in hotter climates. I love summer pudding made with sponge rather than bread and filled to the brim with all the sharp berries like blackcurrants, jostaberries and blackberries, served alongside a big dollop of creme fraiche.”

Serves 8 – 10

To make: Begin with the sponge. Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease 33 x 23cm baking tin. Melt 15g unsalted butter in a small pan over a low heat; set aside to cool. Using an electric mixer, whisk seven egg yolks (keep aside the whites) with 190g sugar until pale and thick enough to leave a ribbon trail on the surface when the whisk is lifted.

In a separate, clean bowl, whisk the eggs whites with a pinch of salt and another 190g sugar, whisking slowly to begin with, then increasing the speed slightly after a minute or two. Continue to whisk until the mixture holds stiff peaks.

Carefully fold 360g plain flour into the egg yolk and sugar mix, a third at a time, alternately with the five tablespoons warm water. Fold in the whisked whites, third at a time. Finally, fold in the melted butter.

Spread the mixture thinly and evenly in the prepared baking tin. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 8 – 10 minutes or until the sponge is just golden and dry to touch. Leave in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out and cool on a wire rack while you prepare the fruit.

Place 300g of blackcurrants and redcurrants in a saucepan with 250g caster sugar and juice of one lemon and cook over a medium heat until the fruit just starts to release its juices. Remove from heat and add 200g blackberries, 200g raspberries and 100g strawberries and the zest of one lemon. Let stand for a few minutes to allow the flavours to develop.

Line a 1-litre pudding basin with cling film, leaving plenty overhanging all round. Using a pastry cutter, cut 2 rounds of sponge, one to fit the bottom of the basin and one the diameter of the top. Place the smaller disc in the bottom of the basin. Now cut long, tapering strips of sponge and use to line the sides of the basin, overlapping them slightly and pressing tightly to ensure there are no gaps.

Using a slotted spoon, spoon the fruit into the sponge-lined basin, filling it to the brim. Spoon on the juices, reserving a few spoonfuls for serving. Lay the other sponge disc on top. Fold over the cling film to seal and place a saucer on top that just fits inside the rim of the basin. Weigh down with a tin (or something similar) and refrigerate overnight.

To serve, fold back the cling film and invert the pudding onto a deep plate. Using a pastry brush, smear any pale areas of sponge with the reserved juice.

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