flipPrunes poached in Bordeaux wine
Prunes poached in Bordeaux wine
Why this dish? Montesquieu advocated moderation as a health virtue, despite the abundance of his table. Prunes simmered in wine, reputed to aid digestion, were both an end-of-meal treat and a little domestic remedy — sobriety and pleasure reconciled, in the image of the man.
Plump, shiny prunes poached in spiced red wine with cinnamon and orange peel, served warm in their dark syrup. Sweet, slightly tangy, comforting.
I repeat to whoever will listen: health depends less on doctors' remedies than on the measure one keeps in all things. After a long meal, I content myself with a few prunes simmered in my wine with a little cinnamon; it delights the palate without weighing down the stomach, and one sleeps on it like a sage. There is all my secret: little, but good.
- •Prunes — a handful per guest (base)
- •Red Bordeaux wine — enough to cover (poaching, signature)
- •Honey or sugar — to taste (sweetness)
- •Cinnamon and orange peel — a little (spices)
Prunes poached in Bordeaux wine
Plump, shiny prunes poached in spiced red wine with cinnamon and orange peel, served warm in their dark syrup. Sweet, slightly tangy, comforting.
Why this dish? Montesquieu advocated moderation as a health virtue, despite the abundance of his table. Prunes simmered in wine, reputed to aid digestion, were both an end-of-meal treat and a little domestic remedy — sobriety and pleasure reconciled, in the image of the man.
I repeat to whoever will listen: health depends less on doctors' remedies than on the measure one keeps in all things. After a long meal, I content myself with a few prunes simmered in my wine with a little cinnamon; it delights the palate without weighing down the stomach, and one sleeps on it like a sage. There is all my secret: little, but good.
Ingredients (period version)
- Prunes — a handful per guest (base)
- Red Bordeaux wine — enough to cover (poaching, signature)
- Honey or sugar — to taste (sweetness)
- Cinnamon and orange peel — a little (spices)
Ingredients
- Agen prunes, pitted — 300 g (base)
- Red Bordeaux wine — 50 cl (poaching, signature)
- Sugar or honey — 60 g (sweetness)
- Cinnamon stick — 1 (spice)
- Orange peel — 1 strip (flavor)
- Pepper or clove (optional) — 1 pinch / 1 clove (spice)
Method
- Bring the wine to a simmer with the sugar, cinnamon, and orange peel.
- Add the prunes and poach gently for 15 to 20 minutes until they plump up.
- Remove the prunes, reduce the wine to a syrupy glaze.
- Return the prunes to the syrup, let cool to warm.
- Serve warm, coated with syrup, alone or with a cloud of cream.
How it was made : Dried fruits poached in wine and honey belong to a long medico-culinary tradition: cooking and medicine under the Ancien Régime were hardly distinct, and prunes were thought to aid digestion. They were also prepared to preserve fruit from one season to another.
The contemporary twist : Plate three glossy prunes in a quenelle of syrup on a slate tile, with a quenelle of unsweetened whipped cream, restaurant-dessert style.
Montesquieu · Charactorium
