Prune Sublime

An assembled icebox dessert with no cooking beyond stewing the prunes. The only real decisions are how wet the fruit is and how long the thing sits before serving.

• Sherbet cupsThese were stemmed glass dishes of roughly 5-6 oz. Any small glass, ramekin or wide wine glass of about 3/4 cup capacity works; the point is that the lady fingers stand upright against the sides.
• Lady fingersSplit them lengthwise and set the cut side against the glass so they sit flush. Packaged Italian savoiardi are drier and firmer than the softer sponge lady fingers common in American baking of the period, so they will absorb more juice and soften faster.
• Cooking the prunesSimmer pitted prunes in water barely to cover, 15-20 minutes, until plump and tender, then drain well before chopping. Undrained fruit will flood the glass and turn the lady fingers to paste.
• SweeteningThe recipe assumes prunes cooked plain. Taste them: if flat, a spoonful of sugar or a strip of lemon peel in the cooking water is enough. Prunes are already sweet and the whipped cream will be sweetened as well.
• Whipped creamHeavy or whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks with a little sugar. Modern ultra-pasteurized cream whips slower and holds less well, so whip it close to serving and keep the cups cold.
• NutsWalnuts pair well with prunes and are a likely reading of 'chopped nuts' here. Toast and cool them first; untoasted nuts on cold cream taste of nothing.
• Timing and yieldAs written the quantities are left to the cook. Figure about 1 cup cooked chopped prunes, 1 cup cream and a dozen lady fingers for four cups. Assemble the fruit and cookies up to a few hours ahead, refrigerated, and add cream and nuts at the table.