12470 Prunes in Armagnac Makes 1½ Quarts Wed Aug 06 01:08:03 -0700 2008 Thu Feb 05 09:09:16 -0800 2009 Licensed http://www.chow.com/recipes/12470 Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:09:16 GMT This is an essential recipe, since the prunes and their Armagnac syrup are used in Prune and Armagnac Ice Cream (pages 397–398), the Pastry Cake Filled With Apples and Prunes in Armagnac (pages 370–372), and in various fruit flans and omelets. They are excellent, too, eaten alone, after which one should drink off the thick, dark, aromatic syrup as slowly as possible, the longer to savor it.

In the Southwest there are the world-famous prunes of Agen. Our California prunes, which have been cultivated in America since the early nineteenth century, are the same variety and are just as luscious.

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  • Soak the prunes in the tea overnight so that they swell up.
  • The following day, drain the prunes, discarding the tea. Roll each prune in paper towels to dry well. Place the prunes in a sterilized 1½-quart wide-mouth glass canning jar.
  • Make a syrup with the sugar and ½ cup water; bring to a boil, stirring. Boil undisturbed 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Pour over the prunes. Completely cover the prunes with Armagnac; stir. If prunes rise above the line of liquid, add more Armagnac. Let soak a minimum of 2 weeks in a cool, dark place or in the refrigerator. Use clean wooden tongs or wooden spoon to remove prunes as needed. Keeps up to one year.
  • In the Southwest they soak prunes in chamomile tea to bring out the full flavor of the fruit.
  • If prunes become uncovered, add more Armagnac to cover.
    • ]]>     http://www.chow.com Paula Wolfert 50 Main 2 pounds extra-large prunes, unpitted

    ]]>     3 cups warm brewed tea, preferably linden or orange pekoe

    ]]>     1 cup superfine sugar

    ]]>     About 3 cups Armagnac

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