Poached Prune Kreplach with Honeyed Cream and Pecans

Courtesy of Jayne Cohen’s “Jewish Holiday Cooking” (John Wiley & Sons, 2008)

For the Prune Kreplach:
About 25 plump pitted prunes
2-3 cups sweet red kosher wine or
red Concord grape juice
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole cloves
Salt
About 48 wonton wrappers
Egg wash (1-2 large eggs, each beaten
with 1 teaspoon water)

For the Honeyed Cream Sauce:
1 1⁄2 cups heavy cream, preferably
not ultrapasteurized
About 2 tablespoons fragrant honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1⁄4 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

Combine the prunes, wine, cinnamon stick, cloves and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan and simmer over low heat, partially covered, until the prunes are very tender, about 20 minutes. Boil for a few minutes,

uncovered, over high heat, stirring constantly to evaporate any remaining liquid, watching carefully that the mixture does not burn.
Discard the cinnamon stick and cloves and let the prunes cool in the pan, then refrigerate them, covered, for at least 20 to 25 minutes before stuffing the kreplach.
Thaw wonton wrappers if frozen, keeping them covered with plastic wrap or a slightly dampened kitchen towel. Remove wrappers as needed, leaving the rest covered to prevent cracking and drying.
Put a wrapper on a lightly floured surface. Place a single prune in the center of the wrapper. Dip your finger in the egg wash and “paint” the edges all around the prune. Cover with a second wrapper. Press down all around filling to force out the air and seal the edges firmly. (It is important to push out the air so the krepl will not fill with water when it is poached.) Trim away any excess dough with a sharp knife, or curl the two opposite corners together, dab with egg wash, and pinch tightly closed. You can also use cookie cutters to make interesting shapes.
Place sealed kreplach on a dry kitchen towel and cover with plastic wrap for 15 to 20 minutes until the egg wash seal dries — turn them occasionally.
Poach the kreplach: in a large, very wide pot, bring at least 5 quarts of lightly salted water to a boil. Slip in the kreplach, one by one, being careful not to overcrowd the pot (if necessary, cook them in batches or use two pots.) Lower the temperature slightly so the kreplach don’t explode and poach 3 to 6 minutes, until tender. Lift the kreplach out, a few at a time, with a large slotted spoon, so the water drains back into the pot.
Prepare the sauce: put the cream, honey and vanilla in a heavy, medium saucepan and boil over medium-high heat until reduced by about half.
Serve kreplach in small portions, topped with the honeyed cream sauce and sprinkled with the pecans.
Yields 6-8 servings.

Westchester Jewish Conference

Westchester’s Jewish Community Relations Organization