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The New Stone Age
Imagine a plump juicy plum with a deep purple blush, redolent with summer’s sweetness and our taste buds go into overdrive. Now imagine a prune – black and wrinkled, and we wince and think only of tummy tune-ups. And yet they are the one and same. A prune is a summer plum that has earned its wrinkles. The fruit is richly concentrated in deep, sweet plummy port flavour, and because it its intensity – the result of drying ripe plums – is not only delectable eaten on its own but harmonize well with many other flavours including vanilla, citrus fruits, nuts, caramel, chocolate, spice and wines.
Prunes have always deserved a plum role. A favourite with the French since the 12th century, prunes have endured all food fashions and still reign supreme on the menu of one of France’s most exclusive restaurants, La Pyramide. There, the legendary chef, Fernarnd Point invented a prune dish for the Aga Khan in which he soaked, then simmered prunes in port, and flavoured with a light red Bordeaux, vanilla and sugar. They were served topped with thick crème fraiche and served with slices of brioche.
So, forget the prunes and custard stigma, and move on to some of the recipe ideas here, which make the most of this misguidedly maligned fruit.
To view the previous week's recipes, click here >>>
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