Prune Whip is an old fashioned recipe made with pureed prunes and flavoring folded into beaten egg whites.
It makes a lovely, delicate dessert.
It puffs up and then deflates like a souffle that looks and tastes like a pudding.
It
is best served warm with a quick and easy thin Vanilla Pudding Sauce
(instructions included below).
Top with whipped cream and chopped
pecans or walnuts.
The nuts add additional nutritional value as well as flavor, if desired.
Puree pitted prunes with 1/2 sugar (2 tablespoons) and flavoring in a food processor.
In absence of a food processor, chop them fine.
It is best to cut your prunes in half before processing.
This assures there were no prune pit parts remaining.
Place puree in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
Beat egg whites with cream of tarter on high speed until soft peaks form.
Gradually add rest of sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
Stir or whisk about 1/4 of the beaten egg whites into the prunes to soften and loosen the stiff mixture.
Then add the pruned into the mixing bowl with the remaining beaten egg whites.
Beat 1 minute at high speed. Scrape down sides and bottom, then beat 1 minute more.
Butter bottom and sides of 1 1/2 - 2 quart casserole dish.
Sprinkle sugar on bottom and sides of baking dish.
Preparing your baking dish this way helps the Prune Whip release from the pan if you decide to remove it for serving or later storing.
It also gives the crust a delicious taste and lovely texture.
Spoon and heap your whip into the baking dish.
Gently smooth the top with a knife.
Run
the tip of your finger around the top inside edges of your baking pan
about 1/2 deep.
This removes any batter that might puff up and run over
the edges.
This is a technique professional chefs use.
Bake
in a preheated oven 350F. for 35-45 minutes or until it is light and
fluffy with a golden brown crust that is firm when touched in the
center.
Not firm like a cake, but as firm in the center as it is around the edges.
Carefully remove from oven and set on a rack to cool.
Or serve immediately.
Serve
warm of chilled.
I recommend serving warm, topped with the chilled thin
pudding sauce and whipped cream.
Sprinkle pecans on top if desired.
To chill, cool to room temperature and refrigerate.
May be chilled, then reheated in microwave to serve warm.
May also be frozen and reheated.
Mix pudding as per box instructions and include the extra milk.
Chill in refrigerator.
The pudding will be thin enough to run over the top of your Prune Whip and thick enough to support your whipped cream.