My computer is refusing to co-operate today, but never fear, my iPad and I will bring you my little stories until such time as it revives, or dies and is replaced. I can't promise beautiful formatting however. Here goes:
I just love dishes with odd or intriguing names, and I cannot resist sharing this little pair with you today. I found these little delights in The Encyclopaedia of World Cookery (c1958) by Elizabeth Campbell, who includes them in the chapter on Austria. I would love to know if the name is an accurate translation of whatever they are called Austria, so please do let me know if you are familiar with the cuisine of that country.
I admit that for a moment or two I didn’t ‘get’ the name, but then I remembered the effect of prunes on the digestive tract …
Locksmiths’ Apprentices, Baked.
12 large prunes
12 blanched almonds
½ lb flour
White wine or cider to mix
1 oz sugar
Salt
1 egg yolk
For the garnish:
2 oz caster sugar
2 oz plain chocolate, grated.
Soak the prunes overnight. Stew until tender. Replace each prune stone with an almond. Make a paste with the flour, salt, and egg yolk and wine. Roll out thin, cut into 12 rounds and wrap one prune in each. Bake on a very well buttered baking sheet in a moderate oven for 30 minutes, turning at half time to brown both sides. Serve hot rolled in sugar and chocolate.
Locksmiths’ Apprentices, Fried.
12 large prunes
12 blanched almonds
¼ lb flour
Salt
¼ pint water or cider
For the garnish:
2 oz caster sugar
2 oz plain chocolate, grated.
Soak the prunes overnight. Stew until tender. Replace the prune stones with blanched almonds. Prepare a batter beating the wine into the flour and salt. The batter should be runny. Dip the prunes into the batter and fry in deep hot fat until golden. Drain on soft paper. Roll in grated chocolate and sugar. Serve hot.
Quotation for the Day.
According to the statistics, a man eats a prune every twenty seconds. I don't know who this fellow is, but I know where to find him.
4 comments:
Blogger is giving me fits this week! I can't post half my comments. Anyway,this a good one and it really does sound tasty -- when one is looking for taste and production! If you haven't entered my give-away, don't forget to pop on over and make a comment. That's all that's required. Have a great day and, as usual, thanks for your research and sharing.
This is the first time I've seen this recipe written, anywhere. About 12 years ago my wife and I went to a restaurant in Rotorua, New Zealand, and this desert was on the menu. We tried it, and loved it. Since then we have never found anyone who has heard of it. Their version was slightly different to yours: It was a chocolate coated scorched almond inside a prune, dipped in a tempura batter, with a contreau chocolate sauce drizzled over it. Absolutely devine.
Our family recipe used a fresh, raw plum with an almond and a couple of chocolate chips in place of the pit. The plum was wrapped in marzipan before being dipped in batter, and the batter and frying process was done twice. The hot fried plums were topped with a grating of dark chocolate. Extravagant and delicious.
Further to the comment by Helzundi. The restaurant in Rotorua is called the Rendezvous Retaurant. Even when they took these off the menu, if you asked for them, they would make them. I loved them so much and looking through one of my mothers old cookbooks (for the love of cooking - a big old cookbook) the recipe for this version is there and it is just as good
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