Two Tasty Prune Recipes: Dinner & Dessert

Prune Coupe with Chantilly Cream, Beef Stew with Prunes

Oct 13, 2008 Laura Harrison McBride

It's not hard to find someone who reviles prunes; it's easy, though, to change their mind about these dried plums, if you use them creatively. Here are two possibilities.

Prunes are often thought of as only a rather comical breakfast food. But here's a French dessert to die for:

Prune Coupe

Ingredients:

  • Vanilla ice cream, preferably homemade or high-quality, full-cream natural product
  • Chocolate syrup, premium variety, pourable
  • Prunes, loose gourmet Italian or supermarket boxed variety
  • Crème Chantilly (to Americans, whipped cream)

Directions (per serving):

  1. Chop one large Italian prune or two small prunes into small pieces
  2. Place a large scoop or two of ice cream (depending on appetite) in each bowl. Hint: Using clear glass grapefruit bowls adds to the presentation)
  3. Sprinkle with chopped prunes
  4. Pour 2-3 tablespoons chocolate sauce over ice cream and prunes
  5. Top with crème Chantilly, about 2 to 3 tablespoons per serving. Hint: You can use pre-whipped cream in vacuum cans, but use high-quality all-natural if you can get it. Or, make your own.

Crème Chantilly

Ingredients:

  • One-half pint heavy cream
  • Powdered sugar
  • Vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. Put cream into cold bowl.
  2. Add 2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar and one-half teaspoon vanilla extract.
  3. Whip with electric mixer until stiff enough to hold its shape when spooned over the ice cream. Hint: Do not overwhip, as it will "break" or curdle and separate. Err on the side of too little whipping. Runny whipped cream is, in fact, all right on this dessert.

Prunes for Dinner: A Succulent Stew

In Eastern Europe, prunes are often added to cooking beef. Here's a recipe to get some prunes into anyone's diet without their even noticing they are eating prunes.

Beef Stew with Prunes

Ingredients:

  • 2 lb. stew beef, in 2-inch chunks
  • Mild oil
  • Celery
  • Carrots
  • Onions
  • Beef broth or stock (canned or from cubes)
  • Garlic cloves
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Prunes, pitted
  • Wondra or other "instant" flour product

Directions:

  1. Brown beef very well in two or three tablespoons of oil in a Dutch oven.
  2. As the beef browns, chop two ribs of celery and slice half a pound of fresh carrots. Chop one large onion.
  3. When beef is browned, remove from pan and brown onion in remaining oil (or add more if needed.) when onion is beginning to brown, add celery and carrots and brown slightly as onions reach a deeper brown.
  4. Depending on your love of garlic, crush one to four cloves and add to pot.
  5. Add a sprinkling of sea salt, and grind a small amount of pepper over warm vegetables (to taste; prunes take up some of the pepper flavor, but you can add more pepper toward the end of cooking after tasting.)
  6. Return beef to pot.
  7. Add sufficient broth or stock to reach top of meat.
  8. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to very low and cook on top of stove, covered, for about 1/12 hours.
  9. Halve prunes (you can check for pits this way, too) and add.
  10. Cook for half an hour more.
  11. If sauce is too thin, sprinkle with Wondra or other instant flour product to achieve desired thickness.
  12. Adjust seasoning and serve.

Hint: This sweet/savory stew goes better with a side dish of broad buttered noodles than with potatoes, as an Irish stew would.

The copyright of the article Two Tasty Prune Recipes: Dinner & Dessert in Recipes is owned by Laura Harrison McBride. Permission to republish Two Tasty Prune Recipes: Dinner & Dessert in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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