Rosemary Shrager Easter Recipes

Californian Prune and Cinnamon Teacakes (pictured above)

450g strong white flour
80g butter (room temperature)
15g fresh yeast
100ml milk, tepid
100ml water
50g soft brown caster sugar
5g salt
1 dessertspoon cinnamon
130g California Prunes
50g orange peel
1 egg for glazing

First put the flour into a bowl, rub in the butter to resemble breadcrumbs, now add the fresh yeast and crumble in. Add the milk, water and sugar and make into a dough, tear and knead the dough for 10 minutes, add the salt and cinnamon and continue kneading for another 5 minutes. Put into a floured bowl and allow to rise for one hour until it is double in volume.

Knock back and add the prunes and orange peel. Make into 75g balls and place onto a tray. Allow to rise for another 25 minutes. Brush on an egg glaze and put into the oven at 190C for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Serve toasted with butter.

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Navarin of Lamb with California Prunes 

This is one of my favorate winter warmers. It's great with a potato puree


Serves 6

1 shoulder of lamb, weighing about 2kg
1 large onions
60g butter
4 cloves garlic, chopped
8 small turnips, peeled and quartered
(halved if they are very small)
½ bottle of red wine
4 sprigs thyme
4 bay leaves
2 tbs tomato purée
800ml stock
1 tbs plain flour
1 dsp dark brown sugar
20 Californian Prunes

For the garnish
15 shallots, peeled but kept whole
400g button mushrooms
30g butter
1 tbs caster sugar
8 rashers dry-cured back bacon, sliced into strips
2 tbs parsley, finely chopped
400ml stock (lamb or chicken)

Using a large frying pan, soften the onions in olive oil and put them into a heavy casserole dish, the kind that will go on top of the stove without breaking. Sear the meat in batches in hot oil and add them to the onions.

Add the butter and let it melt over the meat and onions before sprinkling on the flour and the sugar, turning it all together. Now add the garlic to the frying pan, cook it briefly then deglaze the pan with the red wine. Let it bubble for a minute and pour it into the casserole, followed by the stock, the tomato purée and the thyme. Add the turnips to the casserole, bring the whole thing to simmering point and then put it into the oven for about an hour, now add the prunes and put back into the oven for a further 45mins approx. Allow it to cool until you need it. It will happily stay in the fridge for a day or two.

To garnish, simmer the shallots in stock for about five minutes then add the mushrooms and simmer them for a further 5 minutes. Strain them, reserving the stock. Melt the butter in a frying pan and stir in the sugar. Put the cooked mushrooms and shallots into this, turning them to make them slightly caramelised. Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved stock, stirring it all together (save the rest of the stock for soup). Allow it to cool until you are ready to serve. Fry the bacon in a little oil until it is crisp.

Before serving re-heat the casserole and stir the prepared shallot and mushrooms into it. To serve, make sure that everyone gets a few whole mushrooms and shallots. Top each serving with some crispy bacon and parsley.

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Rich California Prune and Fruit Loaf

460g strong flour
1/8 tsp salt
60g butter
60g sugar
2 eggs
1 egg-yolk
100-200 ml water
42g fresh yeast
500g Californian Prunes diced
110g walnuts, chopped
30g ginger stem, chopped
700 g kilo sultanas steeped overnight in water
1 dessert spoon glycerine (optional to increase shelf life and moisture4

Oven 220°C

Put the flour, rub the butter in to resemble breadcrumbs, now add the fresh yeast salt, sugar, eggs, egg-yolk and enough of the water to make to make a soft dough into a bowl and mix then knead very well for approximately 15 minutes, then allow to sit covered with a cloth for 20 minutes.

Now add the sultanas and glycerine, prunes, chopped walnuts and stem ginger, mix well again and allow to rest for 40 minutes now put into the tins and allow to rise for 2 hours approximately, and then put into a pre-heated oven and cook for 40 minutes.