There are several reasons why the summer pudding will collapse. The bread may not have been dry enough or the syrup not heavy enough; there may have been gaps in the bread lining the basin; or perhaps the pudding was not weighted down properly or thoroughly chilled. The secrets to making a good summer pudding are relatively simple. Use good-quality uncut bread, and buy it two to three days beforehand so that it can dry out. Dry bread will absorb the juice from the fruit better and will swell, rather than just become soggy and disintegrate. Cook the fruit just long enough for it to soften yet remain whole. This will ensure you have a lusciously heavy, syrupy juice. Most importantly, make sure that the pudding is really well-weighted down.
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Asian Recipes **
