BBC - Radio 4 Woman's Hour -Glace aux Pruneaux<br> (adapted from a recipe by Nicola Cox)

Ingredients
Serves 6
250g stoned prunes, quartered
200ml sweet white wine (e.g. Muscat, Monbazillac)
200ml milk
1 vanilla pod, split lengthwise
(or a good pinch of powdered vanilla or 1 tsp vanilla essence)
3 egg yolks
50g sugar
25g flour
a knob of butter
250ml double or whipping cream

Method
Put the quartered prunes in a bowl with the wine and leave to macerate for several hours or overnight

For the crème pâtissière, heat the milk to just under boiling point in a heavy saucepan with the split vanilla pod

Put the egg yolks, sugar and flour in a bowl and beat vigorously with an electric mixer till pale and smooth (about 5 minutes)

Pour the hot milk onto the egg yolk mixture, reduce the speed of the beaters and continue beating till smooth
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and bring to the boil, continuing to beat with the electric mixer or a whisk

Stir the bubbling custard over a moderate heat for 2-3 minutes

Tip the custard into a metal bowl, rub the knob of butter over the surface to prevent a skin forming and chill the custard

Whip the cream till stiff

When the custard is thoroughly cool, beat it again with the mixer till smooth and fold in the cream – make sure it’s really smooth

Fold in half the prunes and some of their juice, mixing well

Freeze the ice cream in a metal bowl, or a metal loaf tin if you wish to serve it in slices (a metal container speeds up the freezing)

Serve the ice cream in scoops or slices with the remaining prunes

Retired? Downsizing? Moving home to be nearer the kids?