Gill Meller
MORE RECIPES
Pak choi with sticky prune sauce; Slow-cooked turkey legs with bacon and prunes; Pruney sausage rolls
Certain varieties of plum, with an easily detached ‘freestone’ rather than a ‘clingstone’, can be dried down to 23 per cent moisture content to become prunes. Usually these days, the dark, rich, dried fruits are then slightly rehydrated before being sold. This makes them a little softer and plumper. They are labelled as ‘ready to eat’ and don’t require soaking before use, as prunes always used to do.
However, steeping prunes in liquid is still often a step worth taking. These fruits are famously rich in fibre and this means they retain moisture, so soaking adds new layers of flavour and makes them particularly luscious. Try bathing them in fruit juice or strong tea – Earl Grey, with its spicy, aromatic nature, is a great prune-plumper. Or, for a treat, soak the fruit in brandy (better still, cider brandy). At room temperature, in unheated liquid, prunes need a good few hours to absorb liquid, but you can speed the process by heating them gently.
Throw soaked prunes into fruit salads or chop them into cake batters. Alternatively, cut out the pre-soaking and add them directly to slow-cooked dishes such as game stews, where they will swell up as everything simmers away.
Prunes’ intense and complex sweetness gives them a broad range of affinities, savoury and sweet. A Christmas stuffing, rich with thyme, sage and shallots, is more luxuriant with prunes added, while a chocolate fondant is even better with chopped boozy prunes folded into the mix. At River Cottage, we use organic prunes particularly in winter, when soft fruits are not around but apples and pears are almost overwhelmingly prolific. The crisp bite of an apple has a beautiful affinity with a tender, aged dark prune.
The slightly minerally depth of these dried fruits also works well in dark cakes made with wholemeal flour and perhaps treacle. They are great in pulse salads, with roast pumpkin and toasted seeds, or in North African tagines with lamb or goat. Spices such as star anise, cinnamon, cloves and black peppercorns further intensify their flavour. And a prune compote made with spiced tea, sweetened and brightened with honey and orange zest, is particularly good.
Most prune plums are now produced in California, but the traditional centre of production is Southwest France. Pruneaux d’Agen are still a gastronomic treat: fleshy, velvety and richly flavoured. As with most dried fruit, however, non-organic prunes often contain preservatives.
Plums notoriously come in gluts and if you have a dehydrator, you can dry freestone plums at home to make your own prunes.
PRUNE, ALMOND AND CARAWAY TART
Soaked in Calvados or brandy, prunes make a luscious pudding component. In this tart, they are paired with an almondy filling, which is spiked with a little ground caraway to create a subtle aniseed tang. You can replace the caraway with a few drops of almond extract if you prefer. Serves 8–10
FOR THE PASTRY
200g plain flour
35g icing sugar
A pinch of salt
125g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 egg yolk
2–3 tbsp cold milk or water
FOR THE FILLING
250g pitted prunes
100ml Calvados or brandy
1 tsp caraway seeds
150g unsalted butter, softened
150g caster sugar
3 medium eggs, lightly beaten
150g ground almonds
50g plain flour
TO FINISH
Icing sugar, to dust (optional)
Prepare the prunes for the filling in advance. Put them in a saucepan with the Calvados or brandy and heat gently until the liquor is steaming hot, but not simmering, then take off the heat. Tip into a small bowl and leave to soak for 3–4 hours, turning the prunes every now and then. They will absorb nearly all of the liquor and be coated in a glaze.
To make the pastry, put the flour, icing sugar and salt into a food processor and blitz briefly to combine (or sift into a large bowl). Add the butter and blitz (or rub in with your fingers) until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk, and just enough milk or water (about 2–3 tbsp) to bring the mix together into large clumps. Knead the pastry lightly into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4.
Roll out the pastry to about a 3mm thickness and use to line a 23cm tart tin; leave the excess pastry overhanging the rim of the tin. Prick the base of the pastry with a fork.
Line the pastry case with baking parchment and a layer of baking beans and place on a baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the beans and parchment and return the tart case to the oven for about 10 minutes or until the pastry is dry and lightly coloured. Trim away the excess pastry. Leave the oven at 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4.
For the filling, lightly toast the caraway seeds in a dry frying pan for a minute or two until they start to smell fragrant. Leave to cool, then bash to a coarse powder, using a pestle and mortar.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy. Now beat in the eggs, a little at a time. Combine the ground almonds, flour and crushed caraway and carefully fold in.
Spread this mixture in the cooled pastry case. Give the prunes a final stir, then press them into the almond mixture. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes, until the filling is set and the pastry is golden brown.
Serve the tart warm or cold, dusted with a little icing sugar, if you like.