Spiced Prunes Recipes

SPICED PRUNES

Steps:

• Place prunes in a medium bowl; set aside.
• Place vinegar, sugar, brandy, cinnamon, peppercorns, allspice, and bay leaf in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Pour over prunes and let cool to room temperature.
• Transfer prunes to an airtight container and cover; let stand at room temperature for at least one week before using. Prunes can be stored at room temperature for up to 6 months.

SPICED PRUNE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a nonstick Bundt pan (12-cup capacity), tapping out excess flour; set aside.
• Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil; remove from heat, and add prunes. Cover, and let soak 10 minutes. Drain prunes and finely chop; set aside.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt, and baking soda; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, buttermilk, and eggs. Add oil mixture to flour mixture; mix just until combined. Stir in prunes and nuts.
• Spoon batter into prepared pan, and bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean and the cake has pulled away completely from sides of the pan, 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours.
• Immediately invert onto a cooling rack; let cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

SPICED TURKEY BREAST WITH PERSIAN GOLDEN PRUNES

Steps:

• Pat dry the turkey breast. Gently separate the skin from the meat using your fingers. Set the turkey breast aside.
• Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, coriander, ground cinnamon and 1 teaspoon each of the cumin, paprika and turmeric in a small bowl. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Spoon this mixture all over the turkey breast, then spread under the skin with your fingers (you may want to wear gloves).
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Place the turkey breast skin-side down in the skillet and increase the heat to medium-high. Sear the turkey breast without disturbing until the skin is almost crispy and golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a pair of tongs, flip the turkey breast and sear the other side until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the turkey breast to a plate and set it aside.
• Reduce the heat to medium. If the skillet seems dry, add about 1 tablespoon more vegetable oil. Add the garlic and onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, remaining 1/2 teaspoon each cumin, paprika and turmeric and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant and darkened slightly, 2 to 3 minutes more. Add 2 cups water, the cinnamon stick and cardamom pods to the sauce, then reduce the heat to medium-low and bring the sauce to a low simmer.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a small pan over medium-low heat and saute the prunes until they're shiny and glazed on all sides, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the prunes to a bowl and heat the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the same small pan. Turn the heat to medium-low, add the barberries and saute until they're shiny and glazed, about 4 minutes.
• Add the prunes, barberries and 1/4 cup of water to the tomato sauce in the large skillet and stir to combine, making sure the prunes are fully submerged in the sauce. Return the turkey to the skillet and roast in the oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (avoiding the bone) reads 165 degrees F, 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes. Let the turkey sit for 10 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute before slicing and serving with the sauce, over rice if desired.

SPICED PRUNE RUGELACH

Steps:

• Make the dough: Whisk the flour, granulated sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour mixture until the dough just comes together. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until combined, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap; shape into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Combine the prunes and brandy in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until the prunes soften, about 1 minute; let cool slightly. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and add the apricot preserves, cinnamon and pepper; puree. Scrape into a
• small bowl and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes or overnight.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the dough in half; roll out each half into a 6-by-12-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Transfer the rectangles to the prepared pan; refrigerate until slightly firm, at least 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the prune mixture over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on one long side of each rectangle. Starting with the opposite long side, gently roll each rectangle into a tight log and position seam-side down. (If the dough becomes too soft to work with, refrigerate briefly.) Brush the logs with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the coarse sugar. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Trim the ends of each log, then slice each into twelve 1-inch-thick rounds. Arrange 1 inch apart on the prepared pan, seam-side down. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until the cookies are golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool on the pan.

SPICED BEEF WITH STOUT & PRUNES

Steps:

• Pat the beef dry using kitchen paper. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large flameproof casserole, and fry the beef in batches over a high heat until browned on all sides. Transfer the browned batches to a bowl using a slotted spoon as you continue frying the remainder.
• When all the meat is browned, heat another 1 tbsp oil in the casserole, and fry the onion for 12 mins until soft and pale golden. Stir in the allspice, cloves, cinnamon stick, juniper berries, and a generous grating of nutmeg.
• Pour in the stout and cook over a medium heat until it has reduced by half. Stir in the stock, carrots, sugar, bay leaves and some seasoning. Return the browned meat to the pan, and bring the mixture the boil. When it's boiling, immediately reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook for 1 hr 30 mins, stirring and checking the seasoning every so often. In the last 20 mins of cooking time, stir in the prunes (if you do this any sooner, the prunes will fall apart).
• Meanwhile, peel the baby onions and fry these in a small frying pan in the remaining oil over a medium-low heat until golden on the outside and soft in the middle (you may need to add a little stock or water to the pan to help them soften, if they're slightly bigger). The baby onions should be tender, but not falling apart. Stir these into the braise, check the seasoning again, and scatter over the chopped parsley before serving.

SPICED PRUNE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Cream sugar, eggs and butter.
• Mix flour, soda, salt and spices.
• Add to creamed mixture.
• Add milk, prunes and nuts.
• Chill one hour.
• Drop by teaspoonful on cookie sheet.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes.

SPICED PRUNES

Steps:

• Combine the prunes and water in a large saucepan.
• Place the spices and lemon rind in a piece of cheesecloth, tie tightly and drop into the saucepan.
• Cover the pan, bring to a boil over high heat, then lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat, and stir in the brown sugar and lemon juice.
• Let cool, then store in a glass jar in refrigerator overnight.
• Remove spice bag just before serving.