One winter I visited my friend Kate Hill, who lives in Gascony, a region famous for its tasty prunes, les pruneaux d’Agen. As a means of prying me away from the cozy kitchen hearth, where I could happily eat cassoulet and drink Armagnac all day by the fire, we decided to do something cultural and visit the local prune museum. It was all rather exciting: an entire museum full of educational displays on the history of prunes, including informative dioramas showing the various phases of prune production. We ended our visit with a thrilling film explaining prune cultivation and harvesting, which was a real nail-biter. On our way out, near the prune-filled gift shop (there was a comic book about a prune-fueled superhero…I’m not kidding), was a shrine with a jar holding what they claimed was the world’s oldest prune, dating back to the mid-1800s. For this recipe, you should use prunes that are wrinkled but not necessarily that old, and be alert that it’s become au courant to call them dried plums in America.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 1 quart (1 liter)

　　

Prunes

20 large prunes (about 10 ounces, 280 g), also known as dried plums

　　1/2 cup (125 ml) Armagnac

　　2 tablespoons sugar

　　

Ice Cream

1 cup (240 g) sour cream

　　1 cup (250 ml) whole milk

　　1/2 cup (100 g) sugar

　　1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

　　1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

　　

Step 1

To prepare the prunes, remove the pits and cut the prunes into quarters. Put the prune pieces in a small saucepan with the Armagnac and the 2 tablespoons sugar. Heat until the Armagnac starts bubbling. Stir the prunes, then cover and let stand for at least 2 hours. (The prunes can be macerated a few days in advance.)

　　

Step 2

To make the ice cream, purée the prunes and any liquid in a food processor or blender along with the sour cream, milk, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Pulse the mixture until it’s almost smooth, with a few bits of prune remaining.

　　

Step 3

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

　　

Perfect Pairing

Step 4

If you’ve never had prunes and chocolate together, try studding this ice cream with Dark Chocolate Truffles (page 211).

　　The Perfect Scoop