Wednesday, August 19, 2009

PRUNE BARS - CARRÉS AUX QUETSCHES

Nature, in August, is particularly plentiful and offers so many wonderful goodies. For a foodie like me who loves seasonal produces, this period of the year is paradisiac and highly exciting!

When the stalls of (food)markets abund with all those precious greengroceries, I cannot moderate my veget
able and fruit consumption and tend to compulsively buy everything (well not exactly) that makes me salivate.

It is a fact that every time I go shopping, I come back home with to
ns of fresh and local produces from the Geneva area. My fridge literally explodes and cannot even "swallow" the tiniest cherry tomato anymore...

During this plentiful period, One of my alltime favorite stone fruit is fresh Swiss prunes (also known as "Quetsches" in France and "Zwetschge" in Swiss Germany/Germany). Those lovely violet little plums are so pretty, addictive, delicate-tasting and versatile (tarts, pies, compote, crumbles, ice creams, savory dishes, etc...) that I can never get enough of them.

The people who know me well and read this blog regularly must have noticed that dessert bars rule my world and that I will never tire of them (the same goes for prunes). So, It was very naturally that I decided upon baking that treat and using prune "jam" as a filling, thus combinung two of my favorite things.

After having searched the net for slices recipe
s which would enlist prunes as an ingredient, I came to the conclusion that I wasn't going to find any recipe of that kind and that I would have to invent one for the occasion...

So, I opted for a zesty and slightly smok
y lemon-scented crust with cocoa nibs (that were given to me by the kind and generous Mamina, a French foodblogger at "Et Si C'était Bon?" - merci beaucoup!!!), a tangy and fragrantly spicy 5 spice prune filling and a coconutty and almondy crumble topping.

As you can imagine, those "Prune Bars" were fantastic and so enjoya
ble with their layers of refined flavors that blend equisitely together.

~ Prune Bars ~
Recipe by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2009.

Makes about 16 bars.

Ingredients for the "Prune Filling":
2 Cups (~ 250g) Fresh prunes/plums, cut in cubes
2 Tbs (30g) Castor sugar
2 Tbs (30g/ml) Lime juice
1/2 Tsp (2.5g) Five spice powder
1 Tsp (5g) Cornstarch
Ingredients for the "Crust":

1 1/4 Cups (160g) Plain white flour
1/3 Cup (70g) Castor sugar
1/2 Tsp (2.5g) Sea salt
1/2 Cup (120g) Unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
The zest of 1/2 organic lemon, finely grated
1/2 Tsp (2.5g) Vanilla extract
2-3 Tsps (10-15g) Cocoa nibs (optional)
Ingredients for the "Crumb Topping":
4 Tbs of the Crust mixture

1/4 Cup (22g) Almond sliced
1/3 Cup (30g) Sweetened coconut

Method for the "Plum Filling:
1. In a non-reactive saucepan, sprinkle the sugar and spice over the plums and let the fruit macerate for about 20 - 30 minutes.
2. Add the lime juice and cook the plums until the liquid has evaporated and the fruit is thick and chunky. You can mash some of them if you prefer.
3. Let cool and then incorporate the cornstarch.
Method for the "Crust":
4.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F).
5. Grease the bottom and sides of a 13 x 13cm (9 by 9-inch) baking p
an.
6. In a small bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Set aside.
7. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter, vanilla, lemon and sugar at medium speed until combined, about 1 minute.
8. At low speed, add the flour mixture and mix just until crumbly.
9. Set aside 4 tbs of this mixture for the crumb topping.
10. Mix 2 tsps cocoa nibs to the rest of the dough and turn out into the prepared pan.
11. With floured fingertips, press the dough evenly into the bottom of the pan.
12.
Using a spatula or the back of the spoon, spread the plum filling evenly over the dough.
Method for the "Crumb Topping":
13. Mix all ingredients for the crumb topping and spread evenly over the prune jam.
14. Bake on the middle of the oven, until golden brown 30 to 40 min
utes.
15. Cool the bars completely before cutting them into squares or rectangles.

Remarks:
You can replace the castor sugar by brown (light or dark) sugar.
If you have no prunes at hand, try this recipe with plums, peaches, nectarines, apricots or evn bananas.
Those bars can be stored in an airtight container in
the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Serving suggestions:
Serve those bars with whipped cream, clotted cream, mascarpone, ice cream or just a glass of ice cold milk.

***************

~ Carrés Aux Quetshes/Pruneaux ~
Recette par Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2009.

Pour environ 16 carrés.

Ingrédients pour la "Garniture Aux Quetsches":
2 Tasses (~ 250g) de Quetsches/pruneaux, coupés en morceaux

2 CS (30g) de Sucre cristallisé
2 CS (30g/ml) de Jus de lime
1/2 CC (2.5g) de 5 épices

1 CC (15g) de Maizena
Ingrédients pour la "Croûte":
1 1/4 Tasses (160g) de Farine blanche

1/3 de Tasse (70g) de Sucre cristallisé
1/2 CC (2.5g) de Sel de mer

120g de Beurre non-salé, coupé en petits cubes
Le zeste d'un 1/2 citron bio, finement rapé
1/2 CC 82.5g) d'Extrait de vanille pure
2-3 CC (10-15g) d'Eclats de cacao (en option)
Ingrédients pour le "Streusel":
4 CS du Mélange pour la croûte

1/4 de Tasse (22g) d'Amandes éffilées
1/3 de Tasses (30g) de Noix de coco rapée, sucrée


Méthode pour la "Garniture Aux Quetsches":
1. Dans une casserole, mélanger le sucre et les épices avec les quetsches en cubes, puis laisser macérer pendant 20 à 30 minutes.
2. Ajouter le jus de lime et cuire jusqu'à ce que le liquide se soit évaporé, que la garniture soit épaisse et que les fruits aient "fondu".
3. Laisser refroidir puis incorporer la maizena.
Méthode pour la "Croûte":
4.
Préchauffer le four à 180° C et positionner la grille au milieu du four.
2. Beurrer un moule à Brownies de 13 x 13cm.

3. Dans un petit bol, mélanger la farine avec le sel et mettre de côté.
4. Mettre le beurre, la vanille, le zeste et le sucre dans le bol d'un mixer afin que le mélange blanchisse, environ 1 minute.
5. Ajouter le mélange farine/sel et pulser suffisamment afin que le mélange soit sabloneux et grossier.
6. Mettre de côté 4 CS de ce mélange (pour le "streusel").
7. Mélanger 2 CC d'éclats de cacao avec le reste du mélang
e pour la croûte, puis étaler dans le moule.
8. Avec vos doigts (enfarinés) presser le mélange afin d'obtenir une croûte lisse et uniforme.
9.
A l'aide d'une spatule, étaler la garniture aux quetsches sur la croûte.
Méthode pour le "Streusel":
10. Mélanger tous les ingrédients pour le streusel et saupoudrer le dessus des carrés avec.
11. Cuire pendant 30 à 40 minutes, jusqu'à ce que le de
ssus des carrés soit doré.
12. Laisser refroidir sur une grille et couper en carrés seulemen
t une fois que les barres sont complétement refroidies.

Remarques:
Vous pouvez remplacer le sucre cristallisé par du sucre brun (clair ou foncé).
Si vous n'avez pas de quetsches à la maison, vous pouvez faire ces carrés avec des prunes, pêches, nectarines, abricots ou même des bananes.
Ces carrés peuvent être conservés au frigo pendant en
viron 3 jours.

Idées de présentation:
Servir ces carrés avec de la crème fouettée, de la "clotted cream", du mascarpone, de la glace ou simplement avec un verre de lait très froid.

79 comments:

  1. Prem's (lol, je rigole^^)!

    Quelle jolie recette et qui me donne une fois de plus terriblement faim!

    Quant aux photos...c'est un appel à la gourmandise!

    Merci pour cette jolie recette:)

    Je te souhaite une très belle semaine :)

    Bisous :)

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  2. Ca a l'air délicieux! On arrête pas de manger des prunes - on les adore! Cette saison de l'année, les fruits sont de vrais trésors!

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  3. Irrésistible, un appel à la gourmandise...mon fils adore ce fruit (et cette année, aucunes sur les arbres, sniff...)
    Merci pour ton adorable com' sur mon blog, c'est une belle région..On a pas eu de chance sur le Léman, il a fait un orage et le lac était "démonté"...! et gris.
    Bisous

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  4. Looks delicious! You are so right about the variety at this time of the year! My fridge too just can't handle it!

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  5. I find it so hard to resist all these delicious fresh goodies at the market so that I end up spending a fortune. I was wondering what to make with these Quetsches but of course, your fruits bars would be perfect.

    Take care,

    Vanessa

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  6. Oh Rosa ! coming to visit you is like being on a fresh mountain !! Your bars are a dream !!!

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  7. Mes prochaines quetsches seront carrées... enfin en carrés plutôt!

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  8. Merci pour le clin d'oeil... bises.

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  10. Quel régal ces carrés aux prunes j'imagine!!

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  11. finally i can post LOL! these look great rosa and i did notice how mad you are about bars!

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  12. Lovely idea Rosa! I wonder if the prunes that you get are very different from the ones we get? Yours sound delicious from your description!

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  13. Yum! These bars sounds great-will try them when "sugar plums" are in season.

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  14. I am just drooling with you over the plummy and a great slow rock! Just perfect! :)

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  15. Wow those bars look absolutely delicious, love the gorgeous clicks rosa!

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  16. love the pretty looking yummy bars!! great pics as usual rosa! how was ye holiday?? hop u enjoyed :)

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  17. I'd love to try it out with plums!

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  18. The plum filling looks so pretty! These sound delicious.

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  19. Hi Rosa, this look really lovely and yummy!! gloria

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  20. I'm a huge bar cookie lover too! These sound fabulous!

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  21. The bars look delicious! You've clicked some great pictures!! I love the prunes pic!!

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  22. Coucou! J'espere que t'as eu des belles vacances!!!

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  23. These bars sound amazing! I would love to try Swiss prunes!

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  24. Jolie recette! je note mes quetsches ne vont pas tarder à être bonne à cueillir, merci!!!

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  25. Rosa,
    I "passed" the lovely blog award to you. I realized that you received already, so it means that you are double lovely, right?

    CIAO!

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  26. Tes carrés ont tellement l'air délicieux:)

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  27. Je t'en pique un carré ! Bonne soirée Rosa !

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  28. welcome back Rosa!

    You have very unique recipe using five spice powder for the the filling. Then, almond and coconut for the crumb topping. I can imagine how delicious this must be.

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  29. J'aime aussi beaucoup faire des pâtisseries sous forme de tranches/barres ou carrés.
    J'attends que les pruneaux soient bien mûres pour faire de la confiture ... qui figure parmi mes préférées.
    Bien à toi
    verO

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  30. Well Rosa, I've never heard of fresh, Swiss prunes, but judging by the looks of the Prune Bars, I'm compelled to go on a quest for these beauties.

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  31. I've glad you're back, I hope you had a nice vacation Rosa! These bars look incredible!

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  32. I always do compote of prune :)but this idea very good :)) you're great rosa:) see u :)) XOXO :)))

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  33. Very Unique Idea ! Lovely...

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  34. ..contente de te croiser ma belle Rosa;)

    ..retour en force avec cette recette ouf!!!!!!!!

    ..bonne nuit;)

    ~nancy xx

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  35. These bars look fantastic Rosa :)

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  36. What a nice recipe for baking prunes and looks good too.
    iffet

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  37. I am constantly in awe of your creations.

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  38. so true..nature is at its bountiful best right now..love the prunes in this, a great idea!

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  39. I am so impressed that you created this flavour combination. Just sounds so delicious. I love prunes as well but never really used them in this way. I will have to bookmark this idea! Thanks!

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  40. Je meurs d'envie de faire ces carrés aux prunes, ils ont l'air tellement bons.

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  41. I can imagine these delicious bars working there way to my dessert plate.

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  42. Rosa I enjoy mmmmm these type of bars, look fabulous :) Hope you've had wonderful vacations!

    All the best,

    Gera

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  43. I'm with you -- one can never get enough of cookie-like dessert bars. A breeze to make, pretty to look at, and so easy to eat. I like the addition of the five spice in this.

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  44. Rosa, just like you, sometimes I cannot help but buying all the produce that looks appetizing to me:)) Your prune bars is such a neat idea. I am saving the recipe. Thanks for sharing!

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  45. Zwetschgen in dieser wundervollen Gewüzkombination müssen herrlich schmecken.

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  46. Déjà, la tarte aux quetsches était mon dessert préféré... mais là, ces carrés semblent furieusement m'appeler à la gourmandise... bon, il ne me este plus qu'à planter un quetschier dans le jardin.

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  47. C'est vrai qu'en été on a du mal à résister à ces étals remplis de fruits et légumes frais!
    Quant à tes carrés, ils doivent être excellent! Le croustillant du dessert me plait bien!
    Bises

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  48. J'ai des prunes à ne plus savoir quoi faire cette année. Un année à fruits. Rosa, tes barres sont irrésistibles.

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  49. I hope you had a lovely holiday. Your photos have me craving prunes now!

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  50. The bars look absolutely perfect!!!

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  51. I love quetsches, but im still waiting for them in the market..i havent seen some yet...Love love this prune bar!!

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  52. These look lovely, Rosa! I just adore anything with prunes and/or plums.

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  53. Quelle délicieuse proposition;)xxx

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  54. Those bars look fantastic Rosa!!

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  55. Superbement gourmands!!!
    Bisous.
    Caro

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  56. I never thought of using prunes in bars and after looking at yours, I definitely have to give this a try.

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  57. beautiful as always, the use of 5 spice powder sounds wonderful!

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  58. We have lot of prunes in markets here.More than whole I prefer them in delectable bars like these :D

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  59. There are many prune trees in my neighborhood. I was told that you should not pick them but shake the tree occasionally until they fall and then pick them up. Your prune bars sounds yummy. Dessert bars become your signature desserts!!!

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  60. Looks delicious Rosa I love prunes!

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  61. I am a fellow plum lover and can't believe how difficult it is to find recipes using this wonderful fruit! I had to similarly invent a recipe for plum pie. These look lovely -- thank you!

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  62. Moi aussi je t'en pique un assurément...!!!

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  63. j'ai beaucoup apprécié ce moment chez toi. bisous

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  64. Oh, I do adore plums and have been baking with them a lot recently. I wished I had seen these bars before i used up the last of them.

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  65. gorgeous prune bars rosa! wish we were having the plentiful period at ours. the fridge is dismal :( xx

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  66. J'espère que tu as passé de belles vacances!

    Quel magnifique dessert que tu nous proposes! J'aime beaucoup ce genre de carrés. Fantastique utilisation du grué de cacao.

    Comme à ton habitude, tes photos sont plus que formidable!

    Bonne journée

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  67. Beautiful pictures and I'm excited to try this unique recipe! :)

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  68. Based on your description, Swiss prunes sound like Italian plums. Small, round, purple fruits. I'm not sure how similar they are, but I know I'd love this dessert, Rosa!

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  69. Je suis fan de prunes, alors ces petits carrés aux quetsches me font forcement de l'oeil !

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  70. Il n'y a que quelques jours à peine, je disais à ma mère combien ces petites prunes oblongues me manquaient... on en mangeait souvent l'été, quand j'étais petite. Mais maintenant, pour une raison que j'ignore elle sont pratiquement absentes de nos marchés :(
    Je suis contente de les revoir ici, dans ta super concoction... qui me rappelle qu'a leur arrivée, l'automne n'est jamais bien loin. Enfin, du slow food! lol

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  71. Hi Rosa
    Irresistible, absolutely gorgeous and delicious.
    Have a great weekend x

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  72. Superbe recette, bravo !
    Bisous

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  73. The addition of 5 spice powder is interesting. Looks and sounds really good!

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  74. 3 couches délicieuses qui se marient à merveille... je testerais prochainement avec les prunes du jardin.
    bises et bon week end

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  75. Wow! I absolutely love the flavors in those bars! Gorgeous!

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  76. Un retour gourmand...
    Très tentants Rosa, tes carrés !
    J'adore !

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  77. Oh these are the best! And I had to substitute a little wholewheat because I didn't have enough white... still delicious! also... no lemon, but oranges off the tree. Yum. thank you!

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  78. Hi!
    I've just discovered your lovely blog and I am glad I found this wonderful recipe, I was wondering what to do with my Santa Rosa plums, now I know.Thank you.

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