Prunes Poached In Red Wine Recipes

PRUNES POACHED IN RED WINE

Steps:

• Total time: About 20 minutes plus 2 hours for steeping *2 cups red wine, not too tannic (something light and fruity like a Beaujolais or Côtes du Luberon, or something a little richer and full-bodied, like a pinot noir) 1. Place prunes in a bowl or a glass measuring cup and pour on boiling water to cover. Let sit for 5 minutes, and drain. 2. Combine wine and honey in a medium saucepan. Using the tip of a paring knife, scrape seeds from the vanilla bean halves into wine and add pods. Add cinnamon stick and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes. 3. Add prunes to simmering wine and bring back to a simmer. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add orange or lemon zest. Remove cinnamon stick. Cover and let sit for at least 2 hours before serving. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled. Yield: Serves 6 to 8 Advance preparation: These will keep for a week in the refrigerator. Nutritional information per serving (6 servings): 167 calories; 0 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 37 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 3 milligrams sodium; 1 gram protein Nutritional information per serving (8 servings): 125 calories; 0 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 28 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 2 milligrams sodium; 1 gram protein Martha Rose Shulman is the author of "The Very Best of Recipes for Health."

PRUNES POACHED IN RED WINE

Steps:

• Place prunes in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 5 minutes, then drain.
• Meanwhile, combine wine and honey in a medium saucepan. Using the tip of a paring knife, scrape seeds from the vanilla bean halves into wine and add pods. Add cinnamon stick and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes.
• Add prunes to wine and bring back to a simmer. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add zest. Remove cinnamon stick.
• Cover and let sit for at least 2 hours before serving. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled. Prunes will keep for 1 to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

RED WINE-POACHED FRUIT

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for indirect heat. If using a charcoal grill, build the hot coals on one side only. If using a gas grill, heat one side only to medium-high heat.
• Add the pears, cherries, sugar and cornstarch to a large saucepot and mix to coat the fruit. Add the red wine, star anise and salt. Place the saucepot over direct heat, bring the mixture to a boil and cook, simmering, until the wine is reduced and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Remove the saucepot from the heat and add the red wine vinegar. Discard the star anise. Let cool slightly.
• Serve by spooning over some vanilla bean ice cream.
• (Alternatively, you can poach the fruit over medium-high heat on a stovetop.)

PRUNES POACHED IN RED WINE

Steps:

• Tie the orange zest and peppercorns in a piece of cheesecloth and place in a large saucepan. Add the orange juice, wine and sugar and stir to combine. Place over medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the prunes. Refrigerate overnight. Serve at room temperature, spooned over vanilla ice cream.

RED WINE-POACHED PRUNE TART

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, bring wine, orange juice, 1/2 cup sugar, and the cinnamon stick to a boil. Remove from heat; add prunes, and let steep 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer prunes to a bowl. Return liquid to a boil; cook until slightly reduced and thickened, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out and trim dough to a 12-by-9-inch rectangle. (If necessary, overlap edges of 2 smaller pieces to form a larger rectangle; brush overlap with water to seal, then roll out dough.) Transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine orange zest and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar; sprinkle evenly over pastry. Arrange prunes in rows over pastry, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and cream; brush over edges of pastry.
• Bake, brushing tart with reserved cooking liquid halfway through, until crust is golden, about 28 minutes. Let cool slightly. Serve warm with crème fraîche or whipped cream.

SPICED PRUNES IN RED WINE

Steps:

• Wrap cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon in a small piece of cheesecloth, tie with kitchen twine.
• Add to a 4-quart saucepan along with lemon peel, wine, sugar and prunes.
• Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce to a simmer.
• Cook until prunes have softened and the liquid is reduced but not syrupy, 16 to 18 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Lift out and discard cheesecloth bundle and lemon peel. Divide prunes and liquid among four shallow bowls, and dollop mascarpone on top of each portion.

POIRES AU VIN ROUGE (PEARS IN RED WINE)

Steps:

• Combine the red wine, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, orange zest, fennel seed, peppercorns, and bay leaves in a large saucepan. Peel the pears, and remove the cores from the bottom, leaving the stems intact; set aside. Bring the wine to a boil over high heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Add the pears, return to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue simmering until tender, about 25 minutes.
• Remove the pears from the wine syrup, cover, and refrigerate until cold. Strain the syrup through a mesh sieve, and discard the spices. Simmer the syrup over medium heat until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Refrigerate the syrup until cold.
• Once the syrup is cold, pour over the pears, cover, and chill at least 2 hours before serving.

POACHED PEARS IN RED WINE

Steps:

• Place the wine, sugar, honey, lemon juice, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, orange rind, clove and peppercorn in a saucepan just large enough to hold the pears standing upright. Heat gently, stirring occasionally until the sugar has completely dissolved.
• Meanwhile, peel the pears, leaving the stem intact. Take a thin slice off the bottom of each pear to keep it standing upright.
• Place the pears in the wine mixture, then simmer uncovered for 20-35 minutes depending on size and ripeness, until the pears are just tender; be careful not to overcook.
• Carefully transfer the pears to a bowl, using a slotted spoon. Continue to boil the poaching liquid until reduced bu about half. Let cool, then strain the cooled liquid over the pears and chill for at least 3 hours.
• Place the pears in four individual serving dishes and spoon a little of the red wine syrup over them. Serve with whipped cream or sour cream.