Jellied Prunes

Ingredients

• 150 g prunes
• 500 ml cold water
• as needed boiling water
• 120 ml cold water
• 2.5 tbsp gelatine
• 200 g sugar
• 60 ml lemon juice
• to serve sugar
• to serve cream

Method

Start the night before. Pick over the prunes for debris, rinse them, then soak in 500 ml cold water. This hydration softens the fruit and begins leaching its flavour into the liquid — you're building your flavour base before heat. The next morning, bring the prunes and their soaking water to a gentle boil and cook until they yield completely to a fork, roughly 30 minutes. Remove the prunes with a slotted spoon and let them cool. Stone them carefully — the flesh tears easily when warm — then cut each into quarters. Measure the cooking liquid; you'll need 500 ml total. If you have less, top it up with boiling water. If more, reduce it briefly over heat. This liquid is your jelly base.

Sprinkle the gelatine over 120 ml cold water and leave it to bloom for five minutes. The granules will absorb the water and swell — this prevents lumps when you dissolve it. Pour the hot prune liquid onto the bloomed gelatine and stir constantly until it dissolves completely. Add the sugar and lemon juice, stirring until the sugar is fully incorporated. Taste the mixture at room temperature — the lemon should be a sharp counterpoint to the prune's sweetness, not hidden. Strain through a fine sieve to catch any gelatine debris or prune fragments that might cloud the final set.

Chill the liquid until it reaches the consistency of raw egg white — roughly 45 minutes in the refrigerator, depending on your kitchen's temperature. This is the critical moment. Stir the mixture thoroughly, then add the stoned prunes. Stir again. You're distributing the fruit evenly through the jelly before it fully sets, preventing them from sinking to the bottom. Pour into a moulds|mould and return to the refrigerator for at least four hours until fully set — you want a clean turn-out, not a soft or wobbling centre.

Run a thin knife around the inside of the mould and invert onto a serving plate. Serve with caster sugar and cold cream alongside. The jelly should quiver slightly and hold its shape; the prunes should be evenly suspended throughout, not clustered at the base.