The famous prunes from Agen in southwestern France are large, soft, and moist. American prunes are the same as the Agen variety and can easily be substituted to make this incredibly delicious dish. Prunes are now sold as “dried plums” as part of a campaign to give a “sexier image” to this much maligned, wrinkled fruit. The California Dried Plum Board, which has started off with lots of success, kindly gave me a recipe, which I adapted for this collection.