Prunes

Let me tell you about prunes, and let's be honest from the start.

A prune is a dried plum, dark-fleshed, the kind grown for sweetness. Drying pulls the water out, and the fruit changes as it goes — the colour deepens, the flesh concentrates, the taste turns deep and winey. Water leaving is only part of the story, but it's the part you can watch with your own eyes.

How do you choose a good one? Look at it, don't trust the label. The skin should be dark, with a slight sheen, never dusty-dry or cracked like old leather. Press it — it should give a little, soft and pliable, not stiff. Smell it close: real prune smell is deep, almost like a raisin's cousin, and a weak smell is worth noticing, even if it doesn't tell you everything.

Now the misconception. Some people say a wrinkled prune is a sign it's gone too far, dried past its prime. No! Every prune is wrinkled — that's just what drying does to the skin. That mistake sends cooks to soak good prunes in hot water anyway, chasing a smoothness they never needed, and some of that deep flavour ends up in the water instead of the fruit. A good prune needs no rescue. Choose well, and you won't be soaking — you'll be eating.