Les Reines-Claude à l’Eau-de-Vie

• 1 kg (2¼ lb) greengages
• 500 g (1

Buy or pick slightly under-ripe fruit and discard any bruised or blemished ones. Leave their stalks on. Prick them several times with a needle through to the stone.

Bring a pan of water barely to simmering point. Put a small quantity of the plums into a piece of muslin and plunge them into the hot water while you count up to 15. Transfer them immediately into a bowl of cold water. When