Erma’s Grandmother’s Grandmother’s Prunes

Max, all this talk about Paris Hilton and jail house food reminds me of the all-time favorite breakfast food that is so beloved by hospitals and other institutions that give food a bad name. Stewed Prunes. Doesn’t just the name bring up a memory of a black mess sitting in a heavy, white crockery bowl?

Say the word prunes and most people screw up their faces and assume a pained look. Prunes are what you eat then you are “irregular.” Prunes are what is next to the oatmeal on hospital trays. Pity the poor prune. They have an image problem. If there was ever a fruit that needed a makeover and a new image, it is the prune.

But I’ll let you in on a little secret, Max. There is a way to make the prune a gourmet treat. It’s an old Southern secret that came down to me from my grandmother who got it from her grandmother.

Erma’s Grandmother’s Grandmother’s Prunes:

Open a package of prunes. Place them in a large jar with a tight fitting lid. (I use Square Canister Jars) Pour a quarter to a half-cup of good brandy over the prunes. Leave tightly covered for at least a week. Every day or so shake the jar or turn it upside down so that all the prunes are marinated in the brandy. They are ready to eat when most of the brandy is absorbed. Keep adding brandy and prunes to the jar as you use them up. They will keep almost forever.

These are so moist they are almost like candy. If you are so inclined, you can make an appetizer with them by carefully slitting one side open with–kitchen shears and stuffing with soft cream cheese. Serve on a cocktail pick.

If the prune grower’s association would market these as Brandied Prunes, they would find a whole new market for their maligned fruit.

Don’t stop with Prunes in Brandy. Soak Raisins in Bourbon, Currents in Rum, Apricots in a sweet Fruit Brandy. The sky is the limit here and so are the combinations.

The origins of this technique date back a century or so ago when dried fruits were really sun dried and quickly became hard. Look at old baking recipes and you will discover that frequently the recipe will call for soaking the dried fruit overnight, or bringing it to a boil in water so that the fruit would be softer.

Probably the idea for spirit soaked dried fruit came through fruitcake recipes that suggested soaking the fruit in brandy before baking. From there, some bright cook thought, if it works for fruitcakes, it would work for other recipes too.

Remember that until a few years ago, once you opened a box of raisins, they started getting hard and tasteless. Use my “secret” and you will never have a hard dried fruit.

We all know that raisins and prunes are so good for you, and high in iron. If you preserve and store them my way, there are always ready to use. You might have to hide your canister set because family members will take to snacking on your treats.