Summer Berry Pudding (Michael Chiarello) Recipe

Directions:

1. Special Equipment: Cheesecloth; heavy can or weight
2. Coarsely chop the strawberries and put them and the other berries in a sauce pan. Add the sugar and salt and cook over high heat until the berries are heated and just giving up there juices. About 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
3. In a blender, puree the simple syrup with 2 pints of raspberries until smooth. Set aside.
4. Line a 2-quart pudding mold or deep bowl with cheesecloth. Dip both sides of some of the bread slices in the raspberry puree and arrange around the sides and bottom of the mold. Soak the remaining slices in the berry puree and layer with the cooked berries. Repeat and end with a bread layer on top.
5. Using a plate that fits just inside the top of the mold, place it on top of the pudding. Put the mold in a pan and weight the plate. Refrigerate the pudding overnight.
6. To serve, un-mold the pudding onto a serving platter, remove the cheesecloth and serve with scoop or two of vanilla ice cream. Sprinkle a little salt on top of ice cream for that hand-churned affect of homemade ice cream.