Low-fat summer Christmas pudding

Celebrate seasonal food this Christmas with a healthy, fresh and vibrant summer pudding, complete with low-fat spiced custard.

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With such an abundance of fresh fruit this summer, who needs a heavy dried fruit pudding come Christmas time? Whip up a beautiful and vibrant summer pudding this year that’s full of flavour, low on fat and Christmas coloured to boot!

Healthy summer pudding

Ingredients:

• 4 punnets of strawberries, quartered
• 300 grams of fresh or frozen raspberries
• 300 grams of fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup of caster sugar
• 1/2 cup of pomegranate juice
• 7–8 slices of fresh white bread, crusts removed (brioche is great but any white bread will do)

Directions:

1. Line a medium-sized pudding or glass bowl with enough plastic cling wrap to hang over the sides of the bowl by about 5 centimetres.
2. Line the bottom of the bowl with slices of bread and pack firmly to cover the base. Then, continue lining the bread up the sides of the bowl, overlapping each slice slightly, until the entire inside of the bowl is covered with bread.
3. Next, combine the berries, sugar and juice in a medium saucepan and stir over a gentle heat until the sugar has dissolved.
4. Strain the juice from the fruit (keep the juice, you will need it later) and then tip the fruit into the bread-covered bowl. Pour enough juice into the bowl to nearly cover the fruit, ensuring the juices run over the bread to give it a beautiful berry colour.
5. Cover the top of the fruit with more bread, pour over just enough juice to cover the bread, then wrap the top with cling wrap. Cover the bowl with a plate that fits perfectly on top, then weigh it down with a can and refrigerate overnight to set.
6. When the pudding is set, gently ease it from the bowl, slice and serve with spiced custard.

Low-fat spiced custard

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of low-fat milk
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup of caster sugar
• 2 teaspoons of custard powder
• 1 large egg

Directions:

1. Pour the milk and spices into a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a simmer over a low heat.
2. Whisk the custard powder and sugar in a small bowl, add in the egg and whisk until well blended.
3. Gradually whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture then return the custard to the saucepan, whisking constantly over a medium heat until the custard thickens.
4. Serve hot or cold over the summer pudding.

More Christmas ideas

DIY Advent calendar
3 Super-sweet Christmas cupcakes
Make your own Christmas tree