Recipes: Prunes

California Prune & Walnut Tart (pictured above)

Serves 4
Preparation time: 1hr 45min
Cooking time: 30min plus 40min

Ingredients:
Sweet Pastry Ingredients:
100g unsalted butter
60g sifted icing sugar
1 egg yolk
200g plain flour
1 tablespoon cold water

Filling Ingredients:
100g/10 California Prunes finely chopped
100g chopped walnuts
25g flaked almonds
50g softened unsalted butter
80g golden caster sugar
50g ground almonds
25g plain flour
3 eggs (beaten)
60g honey
200ml double cream
Zest of 2 oranges
10 California Prunes to garnish

Instructions:
To make the pastry put butter, icing sugar and flour into a mixing bowl and rub the butter into the flour and sugar using your index and middle finger against your thumb to make breadcrumbs. Alternatively put the ingredients into your food processor and process to breadcrumbs.

Add the egg yolk and water and process to a dough.

Put onto a floured surface (if the dough is too soft put it in the fridge for 30 minutes) and roll out the dough to a 3 mm thickness.

Line the 20cm tart ring, making sure you press well into the corners.

Place in the fridge for one hour.

Place greaseproof paper into the pastry base and fill it with rice or baking beans.

Bake the pastry in the oven for 20 minutes, remove the paper and place it back into the oven for another 5 minutes. Allow to cool.

Mix the prunes and walnuts in a bowl and pour them into the base of the tart.

In the same bowl cream the butter and sugar until pale.

Add the ground almonds, flour, eggs, honey and orange zest and mix well, then fold in the cream.

Pour the mixture into the tart and bake in a preheated oven at 160C for approx. 40 minutes.

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California Prune and Cinnamon Lamb Shoulder

Serves 4


Ingredients
300g California prunes
1kg lamb shoulder off the bone cut into 2.5 cm cubes
2 large Spanish onions very finely sliced
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
60ml olive oil
30g butter
700ml chicken stock enough just to level with the meat
2 cinnamon sticks
4 sprigs thyme
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt

Method
First, put the olive oil into large sauce saucepan over a medium heat. Season the lamb and then brown on all sides. Place the lamb into a casserole dish.

Add the onion to the saucepan and soften in the butter. Now add the California prunes and cook for two minutes.

Add the onion and California prunes to the casserole dish along with the stock, cinnamon, thyme and sugar.

Put into the oven at 190°c for 30 minutes and then turn down to 150°c for another one hour or until tender.

Remove and serve with pearl barley.

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Prune, Sausage and Sage-stuffed Turkey (pictured above)

Preparation/cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves 4


Ingredients
100g sausage meat
100g California prunes, chopped
4 sages leaves, chopped
4 turkey breast steaks
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper splash olive oil

Method
Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas mark 6. Mix together the sausage meat, California prunes and sage leaves.

Lay the turkey breasts out flat on a board then divide the sausage and prune mixture into four. Place a portion on each turkey breast then roll them up tightly and secure with a cocktail stick. Sit them joined side down in a roasting tin.

Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Put in the oven to cook for 20-25 minutes or until the turkey is cooked though and golden. Remove and leave to rest for 5 minutes then remove the cocktail sticks and slice to serve. Serve with roast potatoes and vegetables.

More recipes found at: www.californiaprunes.co.uk