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Crème brûlée aux canneberge, airelles, pruneaux, vanille et à l’orange.

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(Crème brûlée with cranberries, lingonberries, prunes, vanilla and orange.)

Day 6/7 – Friday, October 25, 2024

Serves 2

16 hours in total, 90 mins preparation

Crème brûlée is more involved than the other recipes I have thus far posted and has the potential to involve a few non basic kitchen items, but you can get around all that if you choose. I will explain a few shortcuts at the bottom.

Ingredients:

1 handful of dried cranberries
2 dried pitted California prunes
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon of lingonberry jam
1 tablespoon of white granulated sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
2-3 teaspoons brûlée sugar
Non-stick cooking spray

Overnight – Place a handful of dried cranberries and 2 dried California prunes in a glass of orange juice. Cover with cellophane and place in fridge to sit overnight. Allow the fruit time to soak up the orange essence. At least 12 hours with the juice should suffice.

Day of – Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Remove your prunes and cranberries from your glass of orange juice and place in a small saucepan over the stove. Add 1 tablespoon of white granulated sugar. Cook for about 5 minutes on low heat, breaking up the fruit as you stir it. Add a tablespoon of lingonberry jam to the saucepan and mix in with the other fruit. Allow to meld together with the heat, stiring as needed until mixture reduces by a 1/3 and no liquid remains and a compote has come together.

Spray two ramekins with non-stick cooking spray. Ladle a generous scoop of the fruit compote into the two ramekins, making sure the bottoms are covered. Set aside.

In a clean saucepan, heat heavy cream with a 1/2 teaspoon of white granulated sugar. Heat over medium, whisking constantly until it just reaches the boiling point. Remove from heat.

Quickly separate egg, and place only the yolk into a small mixing bowl. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste to the egg.

Whisk until combined. Add cream and sugar mixture from your saucepan, a little at a time, whisking while you are adding. Make sure to go slow, and be patient. If you add the cream to the egg and vanilla too quickly, it will begin to cook the egg. You don’t want the egg to cook or become solid. After all the cream has been whisked into the egg and vanilla, strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl.

Pour half the cream and egg mixture over the fruit compote of one ramekin. Use the other half for the second ramekin.

Using a shallow glass dish, begin creating a “bain-marie” or a hot water bath. Fill the glass dish with hot water. Fill only partially. Place the ramekins in the water, allowing hot water to rise to half the height of the outside of the ramekins. See photo.

Place the “bain-marie” with ramekins in your oven once it has reached 300 degrees. Bake on rack that is just a little lower than the middle rack. Bake for 30 minutes. It will be done, when the centers jiggle only ever so slightly. When cool enough, wrap with cellophane and place in your refrigerator to cool for 2 hours.

When ready to serve, sprinkle the top of each with a generous amount of brûlée sugar and torch until evenly caramelized. I have owned a handy Williams Sonoma Butane Torch for many, many years. It still works. It’s basic, but it does the job.

Note – No need to purchase fancy brûlée sugar. You can easily make your own with light brown and granulated white sugar. Take 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar and spread it evenly out on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 200 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool to room temperature and push through a fine sieve. Mix with 1 cup white granulated sugar and store in an airtight container. It should keep for a few weeks.

Note – If you don’t own a kitchen torch, try until a candle lighter. It might work in a pinch! Just make sure to hover over the sugar to brown it. It’s okay to light it on fire for a brief second, but make sure it doesn’t char.

If you are doing the prune challenge, don’t forget to eat 5 extra prune today, as only two were used in the recipe; half going into each ramekin.

Crack open the top of the brûlée sugar with satisfaction. Smell the aromas as you lift the first bite to your lips. Enjoy with a cup or coffee, your favorite tea of a mug of chocolat chaude (Hot Chocolate)!

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Pecan Pancakes with Maple Syrup Infused Prunes

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Day 5/7 – Thursday, October 24, 2024

We’ve made it to day five and it doesn’t get any more simple than this! Just lovely. The maple syrup infused prunes were a touch of deliciousness. I made this recipe up, but you can tweak it as you see fit. Everyone has their favorite pancake recipe. Go with yours if you like and try the maple infused prunes along side and see how it all comes together. Go crazy!

Ingredients:

6 California Prunes
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon of real maple syrup, plus more to top your cakes
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup pecans, plus more for topping

Heat a 1/4 cup of water on medium heat in a small saucepan. Once the water is boiling, add a tablespoon of maple syrup to the water and stir, making a simple syrup. Once the syrup has dissolved, add all six prunes and reduce the heat to low and cover.

Place one leveled cup of all-purpose flour to a medium sized bowl. Add a teaspoon of baking powder to the flour. Whisk lightly, just until mixed. Crack an egg into the flour and powder. Pour 1/4 cup vegetable oil and 3/4 cup buttermilk into the well made by the egg. Mix until batter holds few lumps. Add more buttermilk if batter is too thick for your liking. Pour in 1/4 cup chopped pecans and stir just until combined.

Allow batter to sit and rise for a few minutes.

Give a quick check to your prunes. You want to make sure they are not dissolving into a paste. We want them to remain in tact. If they look like they are breaking down, turn the heat off and remove the pan entirely.

Melt a knob of unsalted butter in a cast iron pan. Pour batter into the pan. If you follow the recipe as written above, batter will be thick and you will need to cook each side longer than you may initially think. Watch for air bubbles to pop on the uncooked side and be patient. Do not flip pancakes over until edges are golden and crispy and several bubbles and appeared. My cook time in total was 4 minutes on each side, as my pancakes were very large. Repeat for remaining pancakes.

Plate your pancakes.

Take a fork and gently remove each maple soaked prune, one by one and place them gently around your pancake. Pour desired amount of syrup on your cakes. Scattered chopped pecans on top. Pour yourself a cup of orange juice, coffee or tea and enjoy!

Note – You can use any sweetener you like to top your pancakes, but try to stick to real maple syrup for the simple syrup to infuse the prunes.

Further Note – A quick substitute for buttermilk when none is on hand. Add a teaspoon of distilled vinegar to a cup of milk. Let stand until bubbles/thicken presents itself.

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Creamy Chicken and Cheese Risotto with California Prunes

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Day 4/7 – Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Needing a break from the sweet stuff, I decided to try my hand at making risotto with prunes. I would not call myself an outstanding chef by any stretch. I say this, for any self respecting chef will tell you, it’s not a true risotto without saffron. Since I don’t have saffron and I can’t leave the house to get any, this shall suffice.

Ingredients:

6 pitted California Prunes
1/4 cup of minced onion
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
Dash of garlic powder
1 cup chicken stock, plus 1/2 cup more on hand
2/3 cup dry Arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
Stream of heavy cream
Shredded Asiago cheese

Take 6 pitted California prunes and place them in a small bowl. Pour a 1/4 cup of white wine over the prunes to help them moisten. I used River Road Uncorked Chardonnay, as it’s what I had available. Any dry white wine will do. Feel free to just use water, if you want to skip the alcohol.

While the prunes are plumping, dice a 1/4 onion, finely. Melt a tablespoon of unsalted butter in a sturdy pan. Once the butter has melted, add the onion and sauté until translucent.

Add 2/3 cup dry arborio rice. I used Vigo, but any arborio rice will suffice. Stir the rice, along with the butter and onion until the rice turns a golden brown color. Sprinkle garlic powder (to your liking) and stir.

Add the prunes and wine to the pan of rice. Stir.

Pour half the chicken stock into the pan, just enough to cover. Keep heat at low to medium temperature, just enough to cook the rice, but not so much that it will boil the liquid off too quickly. You want the rice to slowly absorb the stock. The key to a decent risotto is patience. Keep an eye on the rice. Add more chicken stock as necessary to keep the rice covered, but not flooded with liquid. Cook for at least 20 minutes, added more stock and stirring as needed. (Note – I ended up cooking my rice for about 25 minutes and adding more stock than I had initially planned, as I was not confident the rice was cooked. It’s a bit like the chip and dip game! That’s why it is a good idea to have extra stock at the ready.)

Once the rice is cooked. Slowly stir in a stream of cream until the rice turns a paler color. Plate your cooked rice. I chose to grate fresh asiago cheese on top for a little salty treat. Asiago, Parmesan, Romano, any of these would work well.

The verdict? What a shock. I truly adored this dish. I know I must sound like a broken record. Every dish I have made has surprised me. Yet, most of the dishes so far were sweet dishes. Dishes that can take prunes and highlight their natural sugars. I thought the pairing of chicken stock and prunes would not go well. Pork and beef maybe, as prunes tend to bit hearty and evoke a meaty quality to them, but chicken? My theory is, prunes are a bit of a chameleon – taking on the flavors of ingredients around them.

With regard to the promise of feeling less sluggish and having more energy, per the vintage California Prune Grower’s Ad, I’m not there yet. Having this health bug to weigh me down doesn’t help and isn’t really great timing to see if prunes help with this or not. Nevertheless, we march on.

This is one dish I will make again. If you dare to try your hand at creamy chicken risotto with California prunes, tweak it, make it your own. Feel free to comment on things you changed. I would love to hear your thoughts on how to make a good dish great!

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Drunken Prunes and Ice Cream

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Day 3/7 – Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Still feeling under the weather, dear reader. So, with that in mind, I whipped up a really quick and easy snack. All you need are three ingredients for this one.

Take 6 California Prunes (pitted) and put them in a small bowl. Pour red wine over the prunes, just until covered. I used Martin’s Pickup Shriaz, because it’s what I had on hand. Any red wine will do. Cover the bowl with food grade wrap to keep the air from drying the prunes out. Soak for at least 12 hours. I started the soaking process before I went to bed. My prunes had been soaking for around 16 hours.

When you get hungry and want a treat, drain the remaining wine off your prunes. Place a scoop of your favorite ice cream in a dish and add the prunes on top. I used Tillamook’s Waffle Cone Swirl Ice Cream, as, again, it’s what I had in the freezer. (Disclaimer – I don’t actually eat ice cream much at all. Maybe twice a year. It was another house inhabitant’s ice cream.)

I had hoped originally to recreate Franks’ Amazing Prunes and Mascarpone Dessert, the recipe for which you can find at Something New For Dinner’s website. I believe very much in using what you have. We did not have mascarpone cheese, nor did we have mint. Thus was born, the concoction above.

For not being an ice cream aficionado, I enjoyed this very much.

As for the star of the show, the drunken prunes, they were insanely moist, plump and delectable. Even with this terrible cold, I enjoyed them tremendously. The tide of my impression of prunes is turning toward a favorable one.

For those of you who choose to not indulge in sprits, you can try soaking these in nonalcoholic wine, or plain old grape juice overnight. I am guessing they will plump up just as nicely.

One change I would make is, if I could have chosen a different ice cream it would have been the good old fashioned New York Vanilla. Tillamook is great, but Kemps New York Vanilla would do for me. Why New York vanilla you ask? I like eggs. They add body. Other vanillas often don’t have egg in their finished product.1

As for myself, I am crossing my fingers, the little bit of alcohol might help me get rid of this bug sooner, as I would love to make a few more involved dishes with prunes to display.

  1. https://oldschoolpastry.pastrysampler.com/all-about-ice-cream-difference-between-new-york-philadelphia-french-and-italian-ice-cream/#:~:text=Basic%20Differences%20Between%20New%20York,made%20from%20cream%20and%20eggs. ↩︎
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Old Fashioned Oats with Cinnamon and Prunes

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Day One/Seven – Sunday, October 20, 2024

Lunch today was a variation of Flourishing Foodie’s Stewed Prunes with Oatmeal. I made some alterations right off the bat. I wanted to be very easy on the stomach, so I decided to just cut the prunes up and add them to the oats as they were cooking. I opted to use old fashioned oats instead of instant, as old fashioned oats stick with a body a bit longer. I cooked 1/2 a cup of old fashioned oats in 1 cup of water. Then I added 6 diced California Prunes (Sunsweet Pitted Prunes). Six actually seemed like a generous amount of prunes. But, I wanted to consume what the vintage ad suggested. I tapped in a dash of ground cinnamon.

While the oatmeal was cooking, I snacked on the almonds the recipe suggested adding. As I had already eaten my fair share by the time the oatmeal was nearing done, so I omitted adding almonds. I considered using the orange slices, but the oranges I had on hand did not look the best, so I skipped those too.

Once the prunes softened and the oatmeal was fully cooked, I added about a tablespoon of honey. I finished the oatmeal, by added a splash of oat milk to cream it up. I enjoyed the oatmeal with a cup of coffee and cup of Siggi’s Icelandic Yogurt for more protein.

All in all, I found the addition of prunes to be pleasant. Reminiscent of a cross between dates and raisins. I may try this oatmeal again this week, but with more of a nutty, salty appeal to it.

Time will tell if those six prunes will give me more energy. It can’t hurt to have more potassium in your diet. One serving of prunes also contains:

Table Found on Heathline.com.

I honestly am not holding my breath, but it is worth a try.