The Perfect Prune? A Boozy Prune!

Prunes are not a glamorous fruit. In fact, people snicker about them and no amount of Dried Plum PR has lifted the prune out of punch line status. And even though poets don't write about them, they are ridiculously good! Chefs love them for the deep, heady, musky, sticky, slightly sweet complexity we don’t expect in a fruit, even a dried one.

The idea of a boozy prune takes a good thing and makes it even better. Lifted straight out of the Southwest of France, I like to soak my prunes in Armagnac. What is Armagnac? I am glad you asked! It is a racier, rounder, fruitier spirit than Brandy with an earthier, more pungent aroma.

There are so many recipes on boozy fruit that I do need to write another. I simply pack my prunes in a jar with any other spices I might feel like. Try a vanilla bean, some lemon zest, cinnamon sticks and/or a little loose leaf black tea. You can add a little sugar if you like, but I usually do not. Then add the Armagnac to cover. Seal, put in the back of your fridge and forget about them for a while.

The finished prunes are perfect paired with blue cheese, served over ice cream, as an ingredient in tarts, eaten with your oatmeal and yogurt or plucked right out of the jar like candy. The resulting syrup is liquid gold as well. Since they last indefinitely, I almost always have a some tucked away.