Prunes in Armagnac
A time honored french desert - with a twist.
Total time:30 minutes, plus 2 weeks soaking time
Servings:8 cups soaked prunes
You will need a sterilized 1 1/2 -quart, wide-mouth glass canning jar.
Ingredients:
4 large navel oranges
3 cups of sugar
3x Star anise
3 cloves
2 pounds extra-large prunes (dried plums), about 6 cups
About 3 cups Armagnac
2 cups water
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Steps:
Roughly chop the orange peal into small pieces
In a saucepan combine the peal with the 2 cups of water,3 cups of sugar,3 star anise and3 cloves
Boil gently for 40 mins
Or until orange peel is candied
Remove candied orange peel
Reserve orange syrup (there will be about a cup of syrup left)
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Soak Prunes
Add 1 cup of boiling water to the orange syrup in a stainless steel pan.
Stir well and add dried prunes. Soak overnight at room temperature.
The next day, bring the syrup and prune mixture to the boil for 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and cool completely.
Pour prunes and half a cup of the syrup into a sterilized jar, add Armagnac to cover.
Let the prunesin Armagnac soak a minimum of 2 weeks in a cool, dark place or in the refrigerator. The soaked prunes will keep for up to one year.
This is a very rich, sweet, decadent desert.
Serve 1/2 cup per serving, in glass coup bowl with 1 or two balls of dairy free vanilla ice cream, and a sprig of mint.