Nightingale with Prunes

No songbirds have been harmed making this dessert. It is adapted from Pierre Herme's recipe for Prunes in Sauternes.

Instead of of sauternes, I used a bottle of Beringer's Nightingale 2000. This botrytised Napa Valley dessert wine is named after some folks with the last name of Nightingale, who made a 30 year study of "the noble rot" which is responsible for the honeyed flavor of French sauternes. Or so it says on the label. I brought this little bottle home with me from a California trip a few years ago, where I found a few bottles marked down. This is my last, the others have all been happily consumed. It does taste very like sauternes.

This easy preparation is yummy, and really special. It is wonderful poured over ice cream, or with runny English style custard, and makes a lovely and extravagent food gift. These quantities make just enough to fill a one quart canning jar, which you can store in the fridge, plus a little bit to have right away, so you can reassure yourself it was worth it. If I was planning on making a gift of it, I'd definitely put it in 2 pint jars, and keep one for myself.

You can use any honeyish dessert wine, but it won't be right unless you splurge a bit, and get a very nice one, that you'd be happy to drink. Here's all you do:

In a heavy saucepan, mix a bottle of dessert wine (Typically, dessert wines come in small bottles. You need a whole small bottle.) , 5 tsps honey, and 2 tbsps brandy with 1/3 cup water. Bring to a boil and add about 22 oz. of pitted prunes. Turn down the heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Spoon the prunes into a sterilized 1 qt canning jar, and pour the hot liquid over them, put on a sterilized 2 piece canning lid, and close the jar. Cool to room temperature, and store in fridge. Eat the little bit of leftover prune and liquid over some vanilla ice cream, and anticipate future desserts.

Comments

[lynn]

The prunes sound absolutly lovely and I love the cup and saucer they are served in. A good friend of mine feasts on prunes in red wine (and I believe some spices) all winter. One of my grandmother's specialties was prune whip, probably from The Joy of Cooking.

I must tell you again that I love your blog. I always check it first and it seems that very often we are on a similar "page." For example I am currently reading a Nicholas Freeling-Henri Castang mystery and I, too, have a treasured copy of The Cuisine of the Sun. I tend to try mostly the fish and vegetable recipes from the book and highly recommend the "Estockaficada" and the cauliflower with tomatoes, potatoes and saffron for example. I don't recall reading any fish recipes from you... am I right?

Back to the prunes: I think they would be a great finale for the pea soup, something I had been hankering for even before your post. I will have to confess that I have practically given up red meat, so I go for all sorts of complexity by roasting vegetables and using my trusty standby: smoked Spanish paprika.

Thank you so much for your blog.

Lynn Daly
Salem, Oregon

[lindy]

Lynn: Talk about the same page-right down to the smoked spanish paprika! Have you tried it on deviled eggs?

Hmmm. I'm pretty sure the only fish recipes here so far are a shrimp bisque, little crab souffles, and a spiced shrimp starter. All party food. I do love fish, though- and actually eat it pretty often.

Thank you so much for your kind words.

[Brett]

Sounds positively scrumptious. I suppose you could pour Sauternes on just about anything and it will taste better. I think these would be a perfect accompaniment to a terrine of foie gras or seared fresh foie gras! Thanks for the recipe and I'm glad to have discovered your food blog from David's event.