Aracia Mahshia-Bil-Goz (Walnut-Stuffed Prunes)

"In Egypt, these tea-flavored prunes are traditionally served with boiled buffalo's milk (thicker than our heavy cream) poured onto cold marble slabs and then sliced. Author Colette Rossant finds crème fraîche to be the next best thing. This recipe was first published in Saveur in 1996."
 
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photo by twissis photo by twissis
photo by twissis
photo by twissis photo by twissis
Ready In:
12hrs 30mins
Ingredients:
5
Serves:
8
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ingredients

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directions

  • Brew 3 cups very strong black tea, such as Irish Breakfast.
  • Transfer to a large bowl while still hot. Add 1 lb. pitted prunes (California prunes are plumper and therefore best) and soak overnight.
  • Remove prunes with a slotted spoon to a clean work surface and set aside.
  • Transfer tea to a medium saucepan and add 1/2 cup sugar.
  • Bring to a boil over high heat and reduce tea until it is the consistency of a thin syrup, about 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, stuff each prune (into the slit made when pitting prune) with a large walnut piece.
  • Place stuffed prunes in a large shallow bowl or platter, in concentric circles.
  • Pour tea syrup over prunes and cool to room temperature.
  • Serve with crème fraîche on the side.
  • Store covered in refrigerator for up to 1 week.

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Reviews

  1. Absolutely delicious and very easy. The tea compliments the prunes giving them a depth of flavor. Next time I would use smaller prunes. The large California type is too big a mouthful when soaked and stuffed. To avoid the high fat of creme fraiche I used full fat yogurt. By draining it through a coffee filter for a couple hours I got a firmer texture. 10 minutes is plenty of time to stuff walnuts into the 35 or so prunes that remained round after soaking.
     
  2. I admit I’m not much of a prune lover. They always seem overly sweet to me & their texture doesn’t win me over either, but my DH adores them! This dish has a lovely presentation & a lighter flavour I welcomed as well. I sought out that lighter flavour by using Melrose’s (DeLuxe Quality) Tea from Scotland & toning down the strength a bit … perhaps straying from the spirit of your recipe, but it worked for me. I did use pecans rather than walnuts (pers pref). As I expected, my DH adored the dish, but I was indeed surprised I liked it as well w/the addition of the crème fraîche. You won me over, Kate. Thx for posting.
     
  3. Absolutely perfect, and I wish i could give more than 5 stars. You may ask yourself how a recipe with so few ingredients could be so good? Where's the fuss? Where's the bother? This is probably THE recipe to try to learn or relearn the value of simplicity when we are continuously bombarded with recipes that drive us to excess. I used 3 teabags to make my 'strong' tea - 2 Earl Grey and 1 Orange Pekoe. The Earl Grey was a very good choice as the Bergamot flavoured the prunes nicely. As I said, this recipe is perfection, and I highly recommend it for your next 'occasion'. I would like to add though, that a few calories and A LOT of fat can be cut by using Greek-style yoghurt (the really thick stuff - usually with a 10% fat content) rather than creme fraiche, which has 30% fat. The recipe will be just as good. Oh, and a sprinkle of walnuts over the creme fraiche was no bad thing, either. Marvelous - the kind of recipe that I know I'll be making forever.
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

<p>I have always loved to cook. When I was little, I cooked with my Grandmother who had endless patience and extraordinary skill as a baker. And I cooked with my Mother, who had a set repertoire, but taught me many basics. Then I spent a summer with a French cousin who opened up a whole new world of cooking. And I grew up in New York City, which meant that I was surrounded by all varieties of wonderful food, from great bagels and white fish to all the wonders of Chinatown and Little Italy, from German to Spanish to Mexican to Puerto Rican to Cuban, not to mention Cuban-Chinese. And my parents loved good food, so I grew up eating things like roasted peppers, anchovies, cheeses, charcuterie, as well as burgers and the like. In my own cooking I try to use organics as much as possible; I never use canned soup or cake mix and, other than a cheese steak if I'm in Philly or pizza by the slice in New York, I don't eat fast food. So, while I think I eat and cook just about everything, I do have friends who think I'm picky--just because the only thing I've ever had from McDonald's is a diet Coke (and maybe a frie or two). I have collected literally hundreds of recipes, clipped from the Times or magazines, copied down from friends, cajoled out of restaurant chefs. Little by little, I am pulling out the ones I've made and loved and posting them here. Maybe someday, every drawer in my apartment won't crammed with recipes. (Of course, I'll always have those shelves crammed with cookbooks.) I'm still amazed and delighted by the friendliness and the incredible knowledge of the people here. 'Zaar has been a wonderful discovery for me.</p>
 
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