Ronnie Fein

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Stewed Dried Fruit Redux

I have a gastronomic fascination with stewed, dried fruit — what my grandmother called kumput (which she made with mostly prunes and sometimes dried apricots).

I’ve written a sort of love letter to this iconic, Ashkenazi Jewish dish.

I’ve played with the recipe and made several different versions.

I like them all.

The recipe below has become my favorite. The sweet white wine makes a difference for sure, and also the larger pieces of crystallized ginger (some of my recipes include chopped crystallized ginger).

This isn’t at all like my grandma’s version and yet I think of her every time I made any version of this recipe. She was the inspiration, after all.

STEWED DRIED FRUIT with GINGER

  • 1-1/2 cups water 

  • 1-1/2 cups sweet white wine

  • 1 cup orange juice

  • 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey

  • 1 3” vanilla bean split open

  • 1 2” piece cinnamon stick

  • 8 whole cloves

  • 6 cardamom pods, optional

  • 1/4 cup crystallized ginger pieces

  • 8 whole dried figs

  • 8 pitted Medjool dates

  • 1 cup cut up dried apricots, peaches or nectarines

  • 10-12 prunes

  • 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries or cherries

Place the water, wine, juice, maple syrup, vanilla bean, cinnamon stick, cloves and optional cardamom pods in a saucepan large enough to hold all the dried fruit. Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the fruit and simmer another 20-25 minutes or until the fruit is soft. Let the fruit cool in the pan. Discard the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean. Let cool. Serve with the poaching liquid. 

Makes 8 servings