Summer Pudding: No better use for Hamelman's Toast Bread
Ok, maybe French Toast. But I heard this reference to Elizabeth David's easy-peasy Summer Pudding recipe by Linda Wertheimer on NPR a while back and thought this has to be a sign: A use for one formula in my Summer 2012 Tour de Hamelman that I would otherwise have been hard pressed to find, and a smashing crop of raspberries just pouring off our vines this year (plus some market-sourced blueberries). Pain de Mie would have sufficed, but Chef Jeff's Toast Bread's slightly elevated richness seemed more appropriate. As a straight dough, its ease of prep fits with the no-frills simplicity of Elizabeth David's recipe, offered here in the Oxford Times.
Can't go too far wrong with a desert consisting of nothing more than bread, fresh fruit and sugar. With a scoop of vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt, this is one utterly satisfying seasonal pleasure.
Cheers,
Tom