Traditional Scottish Recipes
- Summer Dessert

Here's a tasty recipe which uses up summer fruit when it is plentiful. The quantities below will make a dessert for 4-6 people (or double helpings for 2/3!). Note that you need to refrigerate overnight to get best results.

Ingredients:
Slices of medium or thin white bread with the all the crusts removed. Use a light, airy variety if possible.
One pound (500g) fresh soft fruit (strawberrries, raspberries, cherries, brambles). There are no fixed proportions but it works best if half of the fruit consists of strawberries.
One fluid ounce (30ml) water
5 ounces (150g or ¾ US cup) caster (or fine granulated) sugar

Method:
Line the base and the sides of a 1½ pint (900ml) pudding basin with a layer of bread. Wash and trim the fruit (removing any stones or stalks) and cut strawberries in half. Put the water and sugar in a pan and bring to the boil. Add the fruit with the softest (raspberries/brambles) last. Cook only briefly - the fruit should still retain its shape. Drain off the syrup and retain for later.

Spoon the fruit into the bowl which has been lined with bread. Add a little of the retained syrup. Place more bread to cover the top of the bowl. Place a saucer on top and apply pressure (say, a pound weight). Keep the bowl and the juice in a refrigerator overnight.

Loosen with a palette knife and turn out onto a large bowl. Pour the rest of the syrup over it. Cut into wedges and serve with lightly whipped double cream (whipping cream).



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