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1
Coarsely chop the tomatoes.
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2
Place them in a food processor and pulse until they are chopped fine.
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3
Or chop them fine by hand.
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4
Stir in the garlic, olive oil and basil.
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5
Season with salt and pepper.
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6
Cut the bread into slices about 1/2-inch thick.
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7
You should have about 18 slices.
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8
Place 3 to 4 of the bread slices in the bottom of a 6-cup mixing bowl, trimming them if necessary so they completely cover the bottom of the bowl.
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9
Spoon about a quarter of the tomato mixture over the bread, enough to cover it.
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10
Make another layer of the bread, another of tomato, another bread, another of tomato and finish with a layer of the bread.
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11
Except for the bread in the bottom of the bowl, the other layers do not have to fit tightly.
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12
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then set a dish that will fit inside the rim of the bowl directly on the wrap.
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13
Weight this dish with a heavy can of food, a rock or other heavy object and place this assembly in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
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14
Put the bowl on a plate to catch any liquid that may spill over.
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15
To serve, remove the weight, the plate and wrap.
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16
Run a flexible knife or spatula around the pudding inside the bowl to loosen it.
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17
Unmold the pudding onto a serving dish that has enough of a rim to catch any juices.
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18
Garnish the pudding with sprigs of basil and serve in wedges.