Pile of uncooked prunes
I like my daily prune.
I took a jar of cooked prunes to Corfu.
Seems eccentric–my mother must have had a hand in establishing the habit.
“Keeps you regular, Robin!”
There’s a funny side to prunes–mention of them can make people smile.
(Anything to do with body functions tends to bring a smile to English faces.)
The word itself has a comic sound– PROONE and it’s wrinkled appearance is not beautiful.
BUT they are delicious when soaked first and then gently stewed and allowed to cool.
The prunes here are from Agen–a couple of hours to the north west of us and they are extra as the French say of something special.
Some people eat them dried.
I prefer them after they’ve been through the Method–soft and melting in the mouth–as an essential part of breakfast.
The Method (for a pound of prunes):
- Empty the prunes into a saucepan.
- Cover them with boiling water.
- Let them stand for a half hour.
- Gently bring them up to the boil.
- Cover them and let them simmer for another half hour–covered.
- Leave them to cool then store them in the fridge.
Here’s one in Meredith’s breakfast bowl–heaven she says!
“There’s no more faith in thee than in a stewed prune….”– ~Jack Falstaff to Mistress Quickly in Shakespeare’s Henry the Fourth Part One.
I couldn’t possibly comment on that–but I have enough faith in prunes to take a jar of them to Corfu.
Robin Ellis 
To turn prunes or other dried fruits into dessert, if it meets diet requirements, I throw in a cinnamon stick and/or some lemon peel, and a splash of brandy of choice into the boiling water.
What is Meredith’s breakfast cereal? It looks nice and crunchy.
Good idea to add things–I’ll try it.
I like a nice prune myself!
I do them like my mother did. She did them the same way as you do but would add a hit of vanilla and some orange slices.
LOL! A mere mention of prunes or beans or anything else of the sort would cause my students to fall on the floor in fits of hysterics! When I teach “the human body” (basic body systems for 10-years-olds) in science class, I have to be careful not to elicit either looks of horror or fits of laughter when talking about the parts of the skeletal system or digestive system. One cannot even say “the opposite sex” in their tender, cherubic presence…one must use the word “gender.” (Of course, they have no shame when one of them has actually been EATING too many gaseous foods…!) 🙂
PS: Breakfast looks good! What are the tiny seeds, though?
I love the breakfast bowl, it looks so enticing and yummy. And yes you brought a smile to my face 🙂
Here in the US grocery stores you can no longer find “prunes.” But we DO now have “dried plums.”
Can’t you just imagine how much time and money the advertising agencies spent in coming up with that?
I had a patient once many years ago-a very old lady whose sister brought her in her jar of prunes soaked in brandy…She had some for breakfast and offered me one. can you imagine having a nurse that smelled of brandy at 8 AM..? I did promise to come back after my shift and did indeed indulge in one then! Ambrosia! They have to soak for a week or so, perhaps the longer the better. Rum works too..so does sherry.. pick your poison….ah yes, I have tried them all..
… and yes, I am seeing “dried plums” too. I think that’s funnier than prunes..
image is everything…
Sarah Wiener a well-known TV chef in Germany and Austria made culinaric trips through France and Austria and to Britain last autumn. Now shown on TV and I enjoyed it. British chef Gary Rhodes offered her a bet: only if it proves that she can cook ten classic recipes, she may say at all. And in his restaurant high above the rooftops of London he would serve then the whole Kingdom on a plate it. At the end of the last series she got a cake with a british map on it. She travelled through the whole country and prepared eel in aspic, fish ‘n’ chips, sunday roast or tycical English breakfast in Cornwall. She discovered English grown tea in Tregothnan and dived for king scallops on the coast of the Isle of Man. Sometimes she changed the recipes a little used more vegetables for example. For breakfast she prepared tomatoes and mushrooms more in a mediterranean style and porridge with a compote of pears and added cinnamon sticks. She made friends with the locals and was hooked from the quality of products and the beautiful landscape. She had a lot of challenges to master a grouse hunt in Yorkshire for example.
Here is the link
http://videos.arte.tv/de/videos/gebratenes_moorhuhn_der_tipp_von_gary_rhodes-6669664.html
Hello Meredith and Robin I am playing catch-up,and what is the first thing I read,you enjoying my mum’s prunes,like you I always take them away with me.
The next thing I read is your tribute to Winston Graham on his birthday,what a wonderfull writer and artist he was,and though he introduced us to the charaters, it was you and the others who brought them alive for us.
Glad that you enoyed your stay on Crete,it’s one of the beauty spots of the world,It’s nice to travel,but it’s nice to come home again.
I wanted to encourage you to try cooking the prunes with a lemon. My mother taught me this recipe and it is delicious. However, just read an email above which talks about stewing prunes in brandy. Hmmmm, while you try the prunes with lemon I may give a go to the brandy recipe!
Mention of prunes takes me instantly back to boarding school days where they were regularly served half-submerged in ‘frogspawn’, aka tapioca! They had a strange metallic taste – from the tin I suppose. Political correctness prevents me from telling you what all the students called that particular dish! When they were served there were no smiles on our faces I assure you.
It was years before I attempted them again. I still prefer gently stewed fresh apricots.
prunes are royal. dan and i love yr witty blogs and recipes as with cries of delight they are translated into lovely meals .darling Meredith’s bowl take s me back to a world of happy breakfasts with you both. will ring and have a proper .gossip . fondest love Rog corfu looked gorgeous……..xx.
Talking of Shakespeare’s historical plays, the BBC are showing four. I watched some of “Richard II” yesterday. BBC at its best. Good actors-locations and costumes great, really medieval. Patrick Stewart was John of Gaunt. He has a good voice in English.
Last week, I saw Laurence Olivier in “Henry V”. Amazing film to say it was made in the war or just after.Falstaff was mentioned in that one too. He was in bed with a fever.
Love them, I always have since my Grandfather introduced me to them when I was a child.
On a completely different subject….I like to make Teriyaki Chicken for my family and I was wondering if there is a natural sweetener I could use for the sauce?
This prune dish looks wonderful. I was wondering though how it was made other than just the cooking of the prunes.
My husband & I just finished watching season 2 of Poldark and was sad that the episodes were over. Nevertheless, we loved the series. Thank you so much for the many hours of enjoyment.
I came across your blog on the net and have been thoroughly enjoying it and all the recipes you have posted in it.
My husband has type 2 diabetes and I would like to share his recovering experience with it and coconut oil along with another product we are taking.. Please email me so I can send this info to you as well. I am looking forward to making some of the dishes you have posted.