Prune Butter Recipes

HUNGARIAN LEKVAR APRICOT OR PRUNE BUTTER

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Place the dried apricots or prunes in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and continue to cook until the fruit is soft, adding more water as necessary.
• Remove from the heat and place the mixture in a food processor or blender ; purée the fruit until it has a smooth texture. (You can also use an immersion blender directly in the pot.) Return it to the saucepan and add the sugar; taste for desired sweetness, and add more sugar if necessary. Cook until the lekvar is thick.
• To can the fruit butter, place the hot lekvar in hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Cover with hot sterilized lids and rings.
• Process in a water bath for 10 minutes. Remove to the counter and allow to cool before storing in a cool, dry, dark place.
• Enjoy.

PRUNE CAKE

Steps:

• Combine prunes and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until prunes are tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a fluted tube pan (such as a Bundt®).
• Mix flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, allspice, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt together in a mixing bowl. Combine vegetable oil, 1 cup buttermilk, and eggs in a separate bowl; pour them into the flour mixture. Mix until fully incorporated. Use an electric mixer to blend in the drained prunes; the mixer will break them up a bit. Stir in the chopped pecans.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven until a tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove cake from oven and allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes on a wire rack.
• To make icing, combine 1 cup sugar, margarine, 1/2 cup buttermilk, vanilla extract, and corn syrup in a saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for a full 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Invert cake onto a platter and pour hot icing over the cake.

GREAT-GRANDMA'S PRUNE ROLL

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add the butter, shortening, egg yolks, sugar and salt and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Cover and refrigerate overnight., In a large saucepan, cook plums in water 12-15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Mash; add sugar and lemon juice. Cook for 8-10 minutes over low heat until thickened. Cool and refrigerate., Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Roll each portion into a 3-in. x 9-in. rectangle. Dot with butter; sprinkle with cinnamon. Spread about 1/3 cup plum filling down the center of each. , Fold a third of the dough lengthwise over filling. Fold remaining dough over top; pinch seams to seal and tuck ends under. Place seam side down in two greased 15x10x1-in. baking pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours or until doubled. , Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Combine the glaze ingredients; drizzle over loaves.

PLUM BUTTER

Steps:

• Place plums in a large stockpot and add enough water to cover the bottom of stockpot; cook over very low heat, stirring occasionally, until plums are broken down, about 2 hours. Remove stockpot from heat and cool for 2 hours.
• Return stockpot to stovetop over low heat; cook gently for 2 to 3 hours. Remove from heat and keep at room temperature, 8 hours to overnight.
• Cook plums over low heat, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours. Remove from heat and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours.
• Bring plums to a boil; add sugar, lower heat, and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes.
• Sterilize jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Pack plum butter into hot jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a clean knife or thin spatula around the insides of the jars to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids and screw on rings.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil and lower jars into the boiling water using a holder. Leave a 2-inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary to bring the water level to at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a rolling boil, cover the pot, and process for 15 minutes.
• Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Store in a cool, dark area.

HOW TO MAKE LEKVAR (PRUNE BUTTER)

Steps:

• In a small pot, add the prunes and water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once the water boils, turn the heat down and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes to soften the prunes. Using a strainer or a slotted spoon, remove the prunes and place them in a mixing bowl or a mini food processor, reserving the prune water.
• Place the prunes, orange zest and juice, sugar and 2 teaspoons of the reserved prune water in the bowl of a mini food processor. Pulse until mostly smooth - a few pieces of prune are ok. If using a hand blender or potato masher, put all ingredients in a bowl and proceed to blend. Taste for flavor and notice the texture. If it seems too thick to use easily, add the third teaspoon of the prune water.
• If using nuts, place the mixture in a bowl and mix in nuts. Add about half and see how you like the texture. Use the rest if you want a nuttier result.

PLUM BUTTER

Steps:

• Split plums in half, remove pits, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Do not peel. Place in a 6-quart nonreactive saucepan, and add 1 cup water and the sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook until fruit is very soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat; puree fruit and liquid in a food mill or food processor.
• Rinse saucepan and return puree to pan along with cardamom and cinnamon. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, until thick enough to spread, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Remove from heat and let cool. Store in an airtight container.

BAKER'S PRUNE BUTTER (SUBSTITUTE FOR OIL IN CHOCOLATE CAKES)

Steps:

• Pour boiling water over tea bags and steep for 5 minutes, discard bags.
• Combine tea and prunes in a medium saucepan.
• Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat, cover and boil gently for 5 minutes or until prunes are softened.
• Remove from heat and puree mixture in a food processor until smooth.
• Return prune mixture to saucepan, add sugar and lemon rind, and boil gently, uncovered for 15 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat and stir into vanilla.

PRUNE RUGELACH

Steps:

• Mix butter, cream cheese, and salt in a large bowl with hands until crumbly. Add flour, and mix until just combined. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface, and divide in half. Shape each half into a disk; wrap each disk in plastic. Refrigerate until cold, about 4 hours or up to overnight.
• Stir together breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup sugar in a small bowl; set aside. Stir together remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon in another small bowl; set aside.
• To make filling: Put prunes and brandy in a small airtight container. Let soak at room temperature overnight. Drain prunes. Puree in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl. Stir in breadcrumbs and sugar. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 1 day ahead.
• Roll 1 disk to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out a 12-inch circle. Brush beaten egg in a 1-inch border around circle. Put half the prune filling in center, and spread out to beaten egg border. Sprinkle 1/2 cup breadcrumb mixture over filling. Cut circle into 16 wedges. Starting at outside edge of each wedge, roll up into a crescent shape. Space 1 inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining disk and filling. Refrigerate rugelach until cold, about 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake rugelach until golden brown and cooked through, about 40 minutes. Let cool completely on wire racks. Rugelach can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.