Spiced Shallots And Prunes Recipes

PORK TENDERLOIN WITH SHALLOTS AND PRUNES

Steps:

• To brine the pork: Dissolve the salt and brown sugar in 2 cups cold water in a glass or stainless steel bowl large enough to hold the tenderloin. Add the allspice, peppercorns, bay leaves and thyme. Submerge the meat, cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours (overnight is better). Before cooking, remove the tenderloin, pat dry and bring to room temperature. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
• To make the sauce and roast: Simmer the prunes in the red wine until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the ginger and orange zest, and steep for 10 minutes
• Heat the olive oil in a heavy stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly brown the tenderloin, about 3 minutes per side. (Turn off heat and use the same pan to make the sauce.) Transfer the tenderloin to a small roasting pan. Roast uncovered for about 15 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer registers 140 degrees. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. (Residual heat will cause the meat to continue to cook a bit while resting.)
• To finish the sauce, melt the butter in the reserved skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and thyme, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, until softened, stirring with a wooden spoon. Scrape up any browned bits to enrich the sauce. Add chicken broth, turn up the heat, and simmer 2 minutes. Stir in the prunes and wine, and simmer for another 2 minutes. Add the Madeira if using. Taste and correct the seasoning, then add the potato starch mixture and cook for another minute to thicken. Spoon sauce and prunes over the sliced tenderloin.

CHICKEN WITH SHALLOTS, PRUNES, AND ARMAGNAC

Steps:

• Boil prunes with 1/3 cup Armagnac in small saucepan until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Cover and set aside.
• Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add to skillet, skin side down; cook until browned, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to plate. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons drippings. Add shallots; cook until browned in spots, about 5 minutes. Add remaining 1/3 cup Armagnac; boil 30 seconds, scraping up browned bits. Add broth, prunes, and thyme sprigs; bring to boil. Add chicken in single layer, skin side up, and any accumulated juices. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 17 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate.
• Stir vinegar into sauce; simmer until thickened, 3 minutes. Remove thyme sprigs. Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with chopped thyme.

SPICED PRUNES

Steps:

• Combine the prunes and water in a large saucepan.
• Place the spices and lemon rind in a piece of cheesecloth, tie tightly and drop into the saucepan.
• Cover the pan, bring to a boil over high heat, then lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat, and stir in the brown sugar and lemon juice.
• Let cool, then store in a glass jar in refrigerator overnight.
• Remove spice bag just before serving.

SPICED PRUNES

Steps:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the plums, water, cinnamon, cloves and ginger; bring to a boil. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand until cool. Stir in lemon juice. Store, covered, in the refrigerator.

SPICED BEEF WITH STOUT & PRUNES

Steps:

• Pat the beef dry using kitchen paper. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large flameproof casserole, and fry the beef in batches over a high heat until browned on all sides. Transfer the browned batches to a bowl using a slotted spoon as you continue frying the remainder.
• When all the meat is browned, heat another 1 tbsp oil in the casserole, and fry the onion for 12 mins until soft and pale golden. Stir in the allspice, cloves, cinnamon stick, juniper berries, and a generous grating of nutmeg.
• Pour in the stout and cook over a medium heat until it has reduced by half. Stir in the stock, carrots, sugar, bay leaves and some seasoning. Return the browned meat to the pan, and bring the mixture the boil. When it's boiling, immediately reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook for 1 hr 30 mins, stirring and checking the seasoning every so often. In the last 20 mins of cooking time, stir in the prunes (if you do this any sooner, the prunes will fall apart).
• Meanwhile, peel the baby onions and fry these in a small frying pan in the remaining oil over a medium-low heat until golden on the outside and soft in the middle (you may need to add a little stock or water to the pan to help them soften, if they're slightly bigger). The baby onions should be tender, but not falling apart. Stir these into the braise, check the seasoning again, and scatter over the chopped parsley before serving.

SPICED PRUNES

Steps:

• Place prunes in a medium bowl; set aside.
• Place vinegar, sugar, brandy, cinnamon, peppercorns, allspice, and bay leaf in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Pour over prunes and let cool to room temperature.
• Transfer prunes to an airtight container and cover; let stand at room temperature for at least one week before using. Prunes can be stored at room temperature for up to 6 months.

CHICKEN WITH SHALLOTS, PRUNES, AND ARMAGNAC

Steps:

• Boil prunes with 1/3 cup Armagnac in small saucepan until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Cover and set aside.
• Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add to skillet, skin side down; cook until browned, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to plate. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons drippings. Add shallots; cook until browned in spots, about 5 minutes. Add remaining 1/3 cup Armagnac; boil 30 seconds, scraping up browned bits. Add broth, prunes, and thyme sprigs; bring to boil. Add chicken in single layer, skin side up, and any accumulated juices. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 17 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate.
• Stir vinegar into sauce; simmer until thickened, 3 minutes. Remove thyme sprigs. Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with chopped thyme.

SPICED PICKLED SHALLOTS

Steps:

• The day before pickling, put the shallots in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to cool, then drain and peel away the skins and trim the root ends.
• In a large bowl, mix the coarse crystal sea salt with 300ml boiling water and let it dissolve to make a brining solution. Add 1.2 litres cold water, then the shallots. Cover and leave to soak overnight. The next day, drain, rinse then drain again. Pack the shallots into sterilised jars (see tip below).
• To make the pickling vinegar, put the whole spices in a medium saucepan. Toast over a low heat until they begin to smell aromatic. Add the dried chilli flakes last, as these can easily catch.
• Add the bay, pour in all of the vinegar and sugar, let it dissolve, and bring to a simmer.
• Pour the hot vinegar over the shallots and seal while hot. Ready to eat in 1 month, or longer, if you like.