Ingredients
• 500ml water
• 400g caster sugar
• 300g frozen blackberries
• 300g frozen raspberries
• 500g pitted cherries (250g halved, 250g whole)
• 2 x 250g punnet small strawberries, quartered
• 20g unsalted butter, melted
• 1–1½ loaves day-old white bread, sandwich slice thickness, crusts removed
• Extra berries and cherries, to garnish
SPICED MASCARPONE
• 250g mascarpone
• ½ tsp ground ginger
Note: Allow overnight chilling
Method
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Put water and sugar in a medium saucepan over a high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium. Add frozen berries, stirring once or twice only to allow them to thaw. Add cherries and strawberries. Increase heat to high and bring to the boil, then turn down to low and simmer gently for 5 minutes to release juice from fruit. Do not stir, to avoid breaking up fruit.
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Remove from heat and strain fruit through a sieve over a large bowl to catch juice. Set aside to cool fruit and juice completely.
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Lightly grease eight 250ml ramekins or teacups with butter.
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Using a cookie cutter the same diameter as the base of ramekins, cut 8 rounds of bread. Dip 1 side of each round in reserved juice and put in bottom of each lined ramekin, juice-side down. Line sides with bread, dipping 1 side in juice and putting in ramekin, juice-side facing outwards. Trim pieces to fit as you go so there are no gaps (a little overhanging bread is OK). Fill ramekins with strained fruit.
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Using a cookie cutter the same diameter as the top of ramekins, cut 8 more rounds of bread. Place on top of fruit-filled ramekin. Tuck in any small bits of overlapping bread and trim excess.
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Spoon a little juice over bread lid. Transfer remaining juice to airtight container and refrigerate until serving. Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and put on a tray. Put in fridge and weigh down with a plate or another tray. Refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.
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Meanwhile, to make spiced mascarpone, put mascarpone in a large bowl and fold in ginger. Put in fridge for 2 hours or overnight to allow flavours to infuse.
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To serve, remove weights and plastic wrap from ramekins. Put a small serving plate on top of a ramekin, then hold in place as you flip plate to remove ramekin. Repeat with remaining puddings. Drizzle reserved juice over top of each pudding and garnish with extra fruit. Serve with spiced mascarpone on the side.
