Dishes You Haven't Been Adding California Prunes To (But Absolutely Should)

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When you imagine appetizers, your mind may conjure up toast points topped with rich pâté, decadently sauced cocktail meatballs, and all manner of fried croquettes. As tasty as these options are, they can also come off as a little clichéd. How about shaking things up with an oft-overlooked ingredient that pivots terrifically from sweet to savory while also offering nutritional benefits? Yes, we're talking about the juicy, jammy California prune, which can land like a sip of bold red wine, a bite of candy, or an umami blast, depending on your preparation. 

We love prunes for their nuanced flavor profile, versatile recipe applications, and relatively long pantry stability. Besides being high in fiber and good for your gut, experts have found that prunes are linked to better bone health. Packed with vitamin K, boron, potassium, and antioxidants, they help preserve density with the mere addition of little more than a handful or so of the dried fruit to one's daily diet. We're also just keen on anything that piques our guests' curiosity at cocktail and dinner parties, demonstrates our position on the cutting edge of emerging culinary moments, and, frankly, factors just as smoothly into easy weeknight dinners. We're confident the prune can be a shining star in all your courses, including pre-dinner sips, delectable apps, savory entrees, and, of course, sweet, sweet desserts. They're surprisingly delicious and naturally good for you.

A standard Negroni is the marvelous amalgamation of gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari, plus an aromatic orange peel to garnish. As basic as it is delightfully dynamic, the Negroni also lends itself to riffs, takes, and interpretations seemingly everywhere cocktails are shaken and stirred. The Prune Negroni cuts the bitter Campari in this fun, fruity update. 

To make a proper pruned Negroni, you'll want to start a whole week in advance, incidentally batch-making the tipple so it's ready to tap when happy hour finally arrives. Steep 2 cups of prunes in a cup of gin, a cup of Aperol, and ¼ cup of the fig liqueur Figcello. And that's it! You'll then just let it chill in the refrigerator while the prunes imbue the liquid with their deep, natural sweetness. You can always garnish with a speared plum to wink at what's inside, or take inspiration from the California Prune Board's Manhattan recipe featuring fancier syrupy prunes to liven up not only libations, but tons of store-bought or homemade desserts.

This snack, app, or side is the ideal introduction for anyone new to the prune. It should sound at least a little familiar from the more common bacon-wrapped dates, which are often also stuffed with a bit of soft cheese, but this dried plum swap is just a little less predictable. Sometimes called devils on horseback, it's a surprisingly adaptable dish.

If we were serving bacon-wrapped prunes, we would simply take about a dozen of the dehydrated fruits, roll to wrap them in a half-strip of bacon each, pierce them with pre-soaked toothpicks to secure, and bake them on a parchment paper-lined sheet at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, checking for crisp doneness at around 15 minutes. Some like them hot, but these hold up nicely to serve cold, too. For a more even finish, you can also knock them on their sides about halfway through your anticipated cook time for the increased heat circulation. Like their antecedent, you can slice the prunes to fit a bit of Gruyère, chevre, or the dairy of your choice to make them more familiar to the traditional devils on horseback. Bacon-wrapped prunes with artichoke hearts amp up the flavor even further.

Like bacon-wrapped prunes, burgers are a great entry-level main for those just beginning to cook with prunes. The protein pairs with plenty of mix-ins, and variations abound across celebrity chef interpretations and backyard cookouts from coast to coast. You will find a number of burger recipes online and likely in some of the cookbooks already perched on your shelves. The same basic principles follow across these vast and varied versions, as well as some back-of-the-envelope efforts: mix meat, add toppings, enjoy. This particular juicy prune burger preparation adds a tablespoon of prune puree to the ground beef mixture for the subtle, but classic nonetheless, marriage of sweet and savory.

About a pound of the ground beef leanness ratio of your preference mixed with the portion of food processor-pulverized prunes, plus the compulsory salt and pepper, will net four nicely sized burgers. You'll need to mix like you mean it to evenly distribute the fruit, but also be careful not to overdo it to the point of toughness. When fully incorporated, the prunes' moisture will be one more fortress against dryness, and their sweet flavor will give your patties signature status that's sure to wow guests at your next dinner party or backyard BBQ.

If you've already whipped up those syrupy prunes for your Manhattans, then they can do double duty topping cheesecake, panna cotta, vanilla ice cream, and plenty of other somewhat neutral desserts that would benefit from the sweet cloak of these sophisticated fruits. For an even punchier infusion, you can imbue said base with the prunes to begin with, fruit in ice cream being a confirmed sensory delight. Freezing temperatures will firm the prunes just enough to catch notice without turning them solid for satisfying bites suspended amid an otherwise velveteen consistency. This more elaborate texture also excites the palate more than a one-note ice cream alone. 

Shockingly, making frozen treats at home is just a little easier with an actual ice cream maker, and, given all of the other things the machine can do, it might be worth the investment. Simply add the prunes, creamy base, and complementary flavors like vanilla bean, caramel, and cardamom according to the manufacturer's instructions. Bonus points for topping it all off with a drizzle of Bronwen Wyatt's Spiced Caramel Sauce.

You can also experiment with a few different ways to make ice cream at home without the appliance for more rustic desserts. Use any extra prunes to make sugar plums — the sugar-coated candy that dreams are made of. In fact, make extra and keep a pack around so you can add a few nourishing and delicious plums into all types of food and drink preparations. 

From their delicious, jammy taste to health benefits that improve your gut and bones, there are so many reasons to add prunes to your dishes.