Name: To Stew Dried Prunes
Ingredients: 1 pound dried prunes; cold water; sugar to taste

To Stew Dried Prunes

Ingredients

1 pound dried prunes
cold water
sugar to taste

Directions

Soak

Wash the prunes and soak them overnight or for 6‑8 hours in cold water.

Stew and serve

Cook the prunes in the soaking water, simmering gently for 2 hours.
Sweeten to taste and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
Serve hot or cold.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Dried prunes: Provide the main fruit flavor and soft, tender texture when simmered and softened by soaking.
Sugar: Adds sweetness to balance the tart, concentrated flavor of the dried fruit.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.