Beignets de Pruneaux

Name: Beignets de Pruneaux (Prune Fritters)
Yield: Makes about 16 beignets.
Cuisine: France
Ingredients: sunflower oil for deep frying; 1 egg yolk; 30 g(1 oz) icing sugar; or use 115 g(4 oz) prepared white marzipan; 1 teaspoon brandy; pinch salt; 55 g(2 oz) flour; 1 egg white; 1 tablespoon sunflower oil; 225 g(8 oz) – about 16 – large prunes; 1 wineglass half red wine/half hot water; 1 wineglass half red wine/half hot water; caster sugar; 1 teaspoon arrowroot; 55 g(2 oz) ground almonds; 30 g(1 oz) caster sugar

Prune Fritters

Preparation info

Makes about
16
beignets.

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

French Country Kitchen

By Geraldene Holt

Published 1987

About

To my mind, ‘prune fritters’ sounds too dismal for words, as if a wartime cook has come to the end of her tether. But look to the French name and once you try this slightly adapted recipe from Ethelind Fearon’s The Marquis, the Mayonnaise and Me, the tale of her days running a villa in Cannes, I suspect you’ll be won over.

Ingredients

225 g(8 oz) – about 16 – large prunes
1

Europe
France
Dessert
Vegetarian
Mediterranean

Method

Soak the prunes in the wine and water for 2 hours; cook gently for 15 minutes. Strain off the juice, add a little sugar to sweeten and thicken with the arrowroot over moderate heat until clear. Keep the sauce hot until ready to serve. Remove the stones from the prunes.

To make the marzipan, w