Armagnac Poached Prunes With Vanilla Ice Cream Recipes

PRUNES IN ARMAGNAC

Steps:

• Place 3 cups of water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, add the tea bags, and steep for 5 minutes. Discard the tea bags, add the prunes and honey, turn the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 3 minutes to plump the prunes.
• Pour the prunes and all the liquid into a medium bowl and stir in the Armagnac, vanilla, orange juice, vanilla bean, and cinnamon sticks. With a vegetable peeler, cut 4 large strips of zest from 1 lemon and add to the mixture. Cut the lemon in half, cut 4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices, and add to the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 6 to 12 hours. (If you're not serving the prunes that day, refrigerate them in their liquid.)
• To serve, place the prunes in shallow dessert bowls and serve cold, at room temperature, or slightly warmed, spooning the macerating liquid over them. Add a scoop of ice cream, a drizzle of Armagnac, a drizzle of honey, and a sprinkling of grated lemon zest. (You'll be surprised how much flavor this adds!) Serve immediately.

PRUNE ICE CREAM WITH ARMAGNAC

Steps:

• Place a medium metal bowl over an ice bath. Combine the crème fraîche and 6 tablespoons of sugar in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
• Meanwhile, whisk the yolks with the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl until mixture is thick and light. Whisking constantly, gradually pour about 2/3 of the hot crème-fraîche mixture into the yolks to temper them. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard has thickened and coats the back of the spoon. Pour the custard into the metal bowl and stir occasionally until it has cooled. Strain the custard and refrigerate for at least a few hours. Overnight chilling will result in the best flavor and creamiest texture.
• Place a container, preferably metal, that will hold the finished ice cream in the freezer. Pour the custard into an ice-cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. When the ice cream is the texture of soft serve, mix in the prunes and Armagnac, then transfer to the chilled container and place in the freezer to harden.

PRUNE-ARMAGNAC ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Place the prunes and enough water to cover in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, then turn off the heat. Let the prunes cool in the liquid, then drain them well. Stir in the Armagnac, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
• In a large, heavy saucepan, bring the milk, cream, and 1 cup of the sugar to a simmer. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the remaining ¼ cup of sugar. Remove the milk mixture from the heat and add a little to the egg yolk mixture to warm it, whisking constantly to keep the yolks from cooking. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the hot milk mixture, whisking the milk constantly as you pour.
• Return the custard to the stove and cook it over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat and strain it into a bowl. Stir in the salt and let cool completely.
• Chill the custard until it's thoroughly cold, at least 4 hours. Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Fold the Armagnac-soaked prunes into the ice cream immediately after freezing while it's still soft. Transfer to a container and place in the freezer until frozen solid, at least 2 hours.

PRUNES IN ARMAGNAC

Steps:

• In a small, non-reactive saucepan, combine the water and sugar. With a thin sharp knife, split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds and bean to the pan and bring to a boil over moderately high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
• Place the prunes in a clean dry jar and pour the syrup over them. Allow to cool completely, then stir in the Armagnac. Refrigerate for at least 1 week before serving.
• Refrigerated, the prunes will keep indefinitely.

PRUNES IN WINE AND ARMAGNAC

Steps:

• In a stainless-steel saucepan combine the wine and the sugar, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, and boil it for 1 minute. Add the prunes and the Armagnac and simmer the mixture, covered, for 15 minutes. Let the mixture cool, covered, for 15 minutes and spoon it into a 1 1/2-quart ceramic or glass container. Let the mixture cool completely, covered. The prunes keep, covered and chilled, for 3 months.