• DKennedy on March 31, 2024

  Our supper club selection for May 2024. Cocktail party following prep day on 5/23 featuring Sgropino p. 434, Garrotxa p. 6, and poached pears p. 232. Dinner 5/24 featured Sorrel Soup p. 85, Bitter Greens Salad p. 208, Carrots with Preserved Lemon Butter p. 199/468, Lentils with Chard p. 196, Farmhouse Chicken p. 147, Apple Galettes p. 221 and Cornmeal Pound Cake p. 230. Marie was out with Covid for this meet up. We are revisiting this title for our Supper 28, 2024 supper club.

• DKennedy on June 21, 2023

  Heartbroken that Prune is no more. I have had the kindle version for years, I feel the need to hold the hard copy now. Gabriellle, if you read these notes, you and your lovely restaurant are truly missed.

• Radish on March 20, 2015

  You will go crazy without an index. I bought the kindle and then had to buy the book. The book is really growing on me. There are some fabulous recipes that I have made, such a fennel gratin and a braised cabbage recipe. Buy the book and buy stickums to remember your place.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Radishes with sweet butter and kosher salt

  • stockholm28 on October 10, 2015

    There isn't much to this and GH's instructions primarily focus on the presentation aspects to make sure the dish is "graceful on the plate". I used some lovely French breakfast radishes from the farmers market and basically laid things out as she dictates. After tasting a couple with kosher salt, I swapped it out for Maldon sea salt. With the kosher salt, my radishes ended up way too salty. With the Maldon sea salt, it was easier to just get a couple of flakes on the radish.

• Garrotxa with buttered brown bread and salted red onion

  • DKennedy on March 31, 2024

    Supper club cocktail party on 5/29 at Amy's - we subbed S. Germain (which was excellent) sourced from Andrew's Cheese shop on Montana b'cuz Andrew advised the garrotxa lately has been inconsistent. Loved this combo. Will def buy again.

• Giant frico

  • ChelseaP on July 08, 2022

    Perfect for having with cocktails!

• Pickled shrimp

  • Totallywired on September 25, 2018

    This promised more than it delivered. Shrimp flavour lost in the pickle for me, which was overly bitter due to mustard seed overload. Next time I'd use larger shrimp, barely poach them, and, reduce the mustard and vinegar in the pickle.

• Omelette with Parmesan

  • stockholm28 on October 10, 2015

    Surprisingly, I'd never made an omelette with parmesan and have no idea why. It was delicious. I appreciated her technique with the precise instructions on the dragging the egg procedure. I did not let the egg brown as much as she specifies because I hate overcooked eggs. This was a nice dinner and it will be repeated for sure as I always have eggs, butter, and parm in the fridge.

  • Foodo on May 24, 2024

    Perfection!

• Grilled head-on shrimp with anchovy butter

  • L.Nightshade on October 12, 2015

    I think the photo is misleading, as she makes such a point of how very dark and very brown the anchovies should be, then it looks like they are plated with pale, clarified butter. Anyway, we thought this was very good. Of course, you have to love anchovies. And butter. And shrimp. And we do. Eating shrimp in-shell is always a little messy, especially if they are small, so I wouldn’t serve this at a white-tablecloth dinner, but it was great for a casual seaside meal. Photo and complete write-up here: http://www.chowhound.com/post/october-2015-cotm-prune-gabrielle-hamilton-bar-snacks-dinner-1025637?commentId=9743657

• Mackerel escabeche, sliced sweet capicola, buttered rye crackers, and celery leaves

  • Jardimc on May 10, 2022

    Sublime! Great flavours and textures. I served this with thinly sliced, crisp sourdough toast, as that was what I had on hand. It felt like I was dining at Prune. Easy make ahead recipe, so we will definitely be serving this again.

  • tekobo on March 18, 2018

    Great recipe to prep in advance. Loved by all.

• Razor clams with smoked paprika butter and hominy

  • L.Nightshade on October 07, 2015

    The recipe calls for razor clams which are not available here, so I thought I’d try it with some local Manila clams. I’m not sufficiently familiar with razors to know how much the switch affected the outcome. On top of that, I split the dish, and made mine without hominy. Consequently, I’m not going to be the best judge of this recipe. This was good, not spectacular. Mine suffered without the hominy. Mr. NS tasted with and without, and as expected, thought the hominy made a big difference. But he still did not feel it was a repeatable dish. I didn't think the flavor was sufficiently complex; as much as I love smoked paprika, smoked paprika and butter just left me wanting a bit more contrast. Photo here: http://www.chowhound.com/post/october-2015-cotm-prune-gabrielle-hamilton-bar-snacks-dinner-1025637?commentId=9739278

• Sorrel soup with salted lemon whipped cream

  • DKennedy on March 31, 2024

    Lovely soup. A lot of work as directed. The potatoes are to be separately par boiled and added to the finished soup just b4 serving. The whip has to be steeped a day in advance. The rest of the steps are typical - chopping, sautéing, pureeing.

• Grilled ribeye steak with parsley-shallot butter

  • DKennedy on July 04, 2023

    Perfect. Do serve it with lemon - it really elevates the dish. I served my steak with a handful of arugula, dressed with small tomatoes, parm, lemon, olive oil s and p.

• Cod in saffron broth with leeks, potatoes, and Savoy cabbage

  • L.Nightshade on October 19, 2015

    I apparently flunked on the seasoning instruction “Take care with your seasoning – it wants to be bold and have a point of view, but not aggressive or unbalanced.” You can’t really tell if your fish seasoning has a point of view until you’ve cooked it and tasted it (and gazed at the world from its perspective). Mr. NS thought it came on a bit too strong. I love berbere and fenugreek, so I thought it was fine, but I could see his point. My broth never became viscous as described, in spite of reducing significantly. In fact I ended up adding a bit more stock in order to have a sufficient amount for the vegetables. The saffron works surprisingly well with the cabbage and leeks. The starchy potato is a nice complement to the spices, but it’s fine without also, if one is low carbing. All in all, I thought this was a good dish. I probably won’t make it again, just because there are so many great recipes for a piece of white fish, but I have no complaints.

• Pigeon with parsley vinaigrette and seeded toasts

  • tekobo on July 02, 2016

    Simple and the toasts, soaked in vinaigrette, are crazily addictive.

• Greek salad

  • L.Nightshade on October 09, 2015

    I didn’t realize it was designed to be part of a plate with grilled lamb chops, so I didn’t have the lamb chop juices that are supposed to mingle with the dressing like the recipe states (although the photo shows them plated separately). It stood up on its own anyway. The order of events seemed a bit finicky, but perhaps resulted in better absorption of the vinegar by the cukes? Not sure. The salad is topped with a sprinkle of dried oregano (which is not included in the ingredient list). I hovered over the dried oregano, and gazed at the oregano going crazy in the herb garden, eventually decided to follow the recipe. (I know, out of character for me.) I did add a grind of black pepper at the last. A perfectly decent Greek salad this was. I do prefer a chopped salad in general, one for which a knife is not needed, but the flavors were all there. Next time, however, I’ll go with the fresh oregano. The dried tasted very good, but sheesh, that’s why I have an herb garden, isn’t it?

• Braised dandelion greens with mastixa and feta

  • helskitchenvt on April 15, 2016

    These taste great as a flatbread too. . . don't forget that mastic is a resin and it will likely destroy any spice grinder you might use to pulverize the granules (so pound it instead or dedicate a mastic-d grinder).

• Whole roasted rabbit with pan drippings salsa verde

  • Totallywired on October 19, 2018

    Pan sauce was brilliant and rabbit well browned. Typically braise rabbit so the texture here is an adjustment, almost game bird-like. The saddle came out better than the legs. If I made again I think I would do only the saddle and braise the legs, or adapt the recipe for a capon.

• Roasted wild salmon with avgolemono rice, two kinds of peas, and scallions

  • DKennedy on December 05, 2023

    I did not have all the necessary ingredients to make this recipe so I just did the brining step. I used 1 T. kosher salt in 1 cup hot water, added in 1 cup cold water, and that was more than enough brine for my 2 slices of salmon from Tjs. Brined for 1/2 an hour. Dried thoroughly. Drizzled with olive oil, s and p, and baked in oven at 400 turning once, finished with a little lemon vinaigrette after taking out of the oven and wow. Just wow. Do this with all your fish and you will be very happy.

• Farmhouse chicken braised in hard cider

  • DKennedy on March 31, 2024

    Nuanced and relatively easy dish to make. A great dish for your back pocket.

  • Prilla on April 09, 2019

    Family go to for fall, everyone loves it.

  • Jardimc on May 11, 2022

    Delicious - tart cider and mellow soft cooked onions and slivered garlic, uncomplicated to make. Will be making this again.

  • Barb_N on February 01, 2015

    I made this with a whole chicken- braising it in the oven for about an hour. It smelled AMAZING and the jus is the color of persimmons. I think I needed more vinegar, maybe at the end, but I had used it all up.

• Panfried trout with brown butter vinaigrette

  • delaneymes on April 13, 2019

    This is a beautiful recipe - the dressing is incredible. It’s easy to make in advance and then bring up to temp when the trout is ready. We added a pile of fresh watercress which rounded it off beautifully and cut through the richness.

• Sliced Jersey beefsteak tomatoes with warm French salted butter

  • wcassity on October 16, 2016

    I didn't think the browned butter did anything for the tomatoes.

• Soft-cooked zucchini with green onion and poblanos

  • Foodo on May 24, 2024

    Just okay.

• Fried zucchini agrodolce with chilies and fresh mint

  • Jardimc on July 29, 2022

    This was my first time making agrodolce and dehydrating zucchini, much less eating agrodolce. What a revelation! Zucchini suddenly seems more exciting. Will definitely be making this again, and trying out other agrodolce recipes from my bookshelf (Elizabeth David, Josh McFadden).

• Braised green cabbage with anchovies and garlic

  • pistachiopeas on October 13, 2015

    Good but not great. Nothing special, really.

  • Foodo on May 10, 2023

    I LOVE this. I made it on repeat all fall and winter - pretty much ate a serving EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

• Roasted mixed onions with onion butter and toasted seeds

  • Frogcake on September 11, 2016

    I scaled down this recipe using one pound of mixed onion but made the toasted seeds as directed. We loved the taste combinations here with the onions coming together in various degrees of sweetness. The various onions also char uniquely, which made for a very delicious side dish. I've also served this as a sauce for egg noodles, sprinkled with toasted seeds. Yum.

  • Frogcake on September 11, 2016

    I forgot to mention -I toasted the seeds in my toaster oven.

• Whole roasted cauliflower with fried capers and brown butter bread crumbs

  • pistachiopeas on October 13, 2015

    The shape of the cauliflower makes the fried capers just roll off, which is too bad because they are one of the best things about this recipe. Next time I'd just break the cauliflower into florets and add the toppings.

  • Foodo on November 16, 2023

    Serve it upside down! All the good bits nestle right in.

  • okcook on January 26, 2016

    This recipe is on page 195! Stupid not having an index! What was she thinking.

  • okcook on May 22, 2017

    We made this breaking the cauliflower into florets as recommended. Delicious.

• Stewed yellow lentils, cardamom-braised chard, and gunpowder

  • DKennedy on March 31, 2024

    The lentil component of this dish is very special and the star of this dish. I think I would make this again but on its own and perhaps top with a dollop of creme fraiche and a bit of lemon zest. Would make a nice soup course. I am not sure I would go through the effort for the braised chard which was unappealing looking when finished. Same for the gunpowder.

• Mixed colored carrots with preserved lemon butter and honeycomb

  • DKennedy on March 31, 2024

    Worth the effort. This will def go in the make again catagory. If you have the preserved lemon butter in your freezer this recipe is no effort at all. LOVED. Do not skip the honeycomb.

• Bitter greens salad without acid, only oil and salt

  • DKennedy on March 31, 2024

    Made for supper club.

• Individual apple galettes with whipped mascarpone

  • DKennedy on March 31, 2024

    Susan, Amy and I made this for our supper club on 5/29/24. I learned a lot from making this recipe together with the group, but I would never make it again on my own. Labor intensive. Interesting but not exceptional dessert, esp factoring in the effort required. The parchment tents were very challenging and Susan finally mastered them after several tries using rubber bands to hold them together. The Mascarpone broke when we attempted to whip it. Did turn into a butter like substance that I liked a lot more than typical mascarpone so that was interesting. The orange scented syrup was quite lovely. If you like a challenge, try this recipe.

  • Foodo on May 24, 2024

    Tasty, not def. Not worth all the effort.

• Cornmeal pound cake with rosemary syrup, candied rosemary, and poached pear

  • DKennedy on March 31, 2024

    We made this as an add on dessert for our May '24 supper club. We used the poached pear component for the cocktail party and the cake to accompany our dinner dessert the apple galette. I really loved this dish and would def make it again. Note it is a tad dry so you must like that kind of texture. Toast the leftover and serve with a tart or berry ice cream.

• Brown sugar ice cream with balsamic syrup swirl

  • Foodo on July 24, 2023

    This was not our favorite. Way too much balsamic.

• Cornmeal cookie with candied rhubarb and cold almond cream

  • Foodo on May 24, 2024

    This was really subtle and nice. Next time I think I will try to thicken the cream a little and flavor with vanilla - almond isn’t my fav.

• 1/2 ripe avocado with hojiblanca olive oil and Meyer lemon juice

  • DKennedy on December 04, 2023

    This is similar to a Dorie Greenspan recipe I make with pistachio oil. Fantastic.

• Ratatouille sandwich with aioli and fried capers

  • Foodo on May 24, 2024

    This just didn’t do it for us. It was a lot of work for just okay.

• Grilled hamburger with cheddar cheese on toasted English muffin with parsley-shallot butter

  • Gio on October 19, 2015

    We used 1/2 lb. lamb and 1/2 lb bison instead of beef and made four burgers. I cut the parsley-shallot butter by 3/4 lb. and adjusted the other ingredients accordingly. The sandwich size toasted and buttered Thompson English muffins were delicious and just the right vehicle to carry the hefty burger. I thought the burger itself was tasty but would have cooked for a few minutes less. It was too well done for me following the directions precisely. This burger does not need any further condiment than the parsley-shallot butter. .

  • DKennedy on July 05, 2023

    Made this for 4th of July. Dave ate a whole burger and another 1/2 - they were out of Thomas's so got regular Ems. I ate a 1/2 with 1/2 a muffin. Very good but very rich!!! The ketchup cuts the richness. Next time fries would be good alongside.

  • tekobo on September 04, 2016

    Made tarragon and shallot butter and served on toasted brioche buns. Delicious!

• Warm lentil salad with fried chicken livers, poached egg, and smoked tomato vinaigrette

  • Foodo on May 24, 2024

    The vinaigrette is the STAR of this show!!

• Grilled tuna pain bagnat

  • Foodo on May 24, 2024

    Adore this recipe! I made fresh Ciabatta the first go around which was nice, but now I just serve it atop some greens.

• Braised fennel with Pernod butter and trout roe

  • L.Nightshade on October 11, 2015

    Well, this was quite nice. It certainly plates attractively, with the bright roe on top of the pale green bulbs. And, if you like fennel and Pernod (I do), it was delicious. I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment to serve this at a dinner party. Preheat the oven to 350º, which is not mentioned in the instructions. Photo here: http://www.chowhound.com/post/october-2015-cotm-prune-gabrielle-hamilton-brunch-lunch-1025639?commentId=9743192

• Salt-packed cold roast beef with bread crumb salsa

  • rhughes24 on December 30, 2021

    This method yields a beautiful, flavorful tenderloin, and the low temperature means your window to take it out on time is longer. I used Morton's kosher salt because I couldn't find Diamond - it's a good bit saltier, and the tenderloin was on the edge of too salty. I didn't serve with the bread crumb salsa but instead served a horseradish creme fraiche sauce.

• Cold candied oranges

  • mooo42 on February 06, 2024

    Make sure to use small oranges. Might be good with tangerines. Served with lebne to temper intensity.

• Strawberry milk

  • Rutikazooty on July 10, 2023

    I had DKennedy’s strawberry milk and couldn’t stop drinking it. Delicious!! Get this cookbook — I just did.

  • DKennedy on July 04, 2023

    I purchased the hard copy of this book last week. Since getting it, I have made 5 recipes in two days -this being the 5th. I didn't see the note to steep overnight so not being exactly true to the recipe. I used 1/2 c. homemade vanilla simple syrup instead of sugar and a I pureed the whole thing to macerated before straining and serving. Will report back but even before sitting it is pretty darn tasty. I wonder if I could have frozen the buttermilk in order to give it a more shake like consistency? Reporting back that pureeing was a bad choice. The texture is foamy. Next time I will steep overnight. The flavor is other worldly and I am sure will became a family staple. Our poor teeth.

  • Foodo on July 24, 2023

    What a treat this was!!

• Cardamom panna cotta with roasted black plums

  • tekobo on December 27, 2016

    Made for Christmas 2016. Didn't get any taste of cardamom in the panna cotta. Maybe crush the pods next time. Used nectarines in place of plums. Delicious.

• Granola

  • rhughes24 on December 30, 2021

    My go-to granola. Cook it till it's as dark as she recommends. Rather than mixing and heating the liquids as she suggests, I just add them one at a time - the oil, then the syrup, then the honey, and then I add a beaten egg white to help the granola clump. Really nice with Greek yogurt.

• Sliced oranges with vanilla bean and rose water

  • Zosia on January 29, 2016

    A lovely way to serve this fruit. I prepared the oranges a few hours in advance so they actually macerated in the rose water and vanilla bean seeds, and were infused with these flavours. Absolutely delicious! I omitted the vanilla bean pod garnish (is it even edible this way?) and saved it for another use.

• Broiled ruby red grapefruit with wheat chex streusel

  • lhudson on July 09, 2015

    Got this cookbook from the library and this was one of the few recipes I could try at home, without needing special equipment or ingredients. It was great!. Only one adjustment was necessary in my mind, the amount of "streusel" was enough for 2 grapefruit and maybe even three. I do not have a home salamander so used the oven broiler and it turn out just fine.

• Fresh ricotta, figs, raspberries, and merveilles with honey and pine nuts

  • DKennedy on July 04, 2023

    So this is a pretty straight forward recipe if you don't make the merveilles. I didn't have time to run and get high end ricotta so I drained TJs ricotta overnight. Topped with fresh figs and raspberries, drizzled with lemon honey. It was quite nice. Great for breakfast.

• Spaghetti alla carbonara

  • stockholm28 on November 04, 2015

    This is a simplified version. Fine for a quick meal, but not noteworthy.

• Soft scrambled eggs

  • nadiam1000 on June 18, 2017

    perfect scrambled eggs - cooked in my 10 inch cast iron skillet and served with prosciutto and toast. I had similar eggs at Croft Alley in LA and was determined to re-create them.

• Eggs Benedict

  • rhughes24 on December 30, 2021

    Surprisingly easy for eggs benedict.

• Salt and pepper pork chops

  • Zosia on January 29, 2016

    There's a reason you're instructed not to use loin chops! I cooked them for less time than instructed and they were still overdone. The butter you're supposed to add at the end may have helped but I used a little garlic infused olive oil instead and it didn't.

  • pistachiopeas on June 28, 2017

    We've made this again a couple of times this year. Fantastic recipe. So juicy and flavorful, but EASY.

  • pistachiopeas on October 13, 2015

    The quality of the pork matters a lot here. I loved this recipe and I think it will be my go to when I need to do something quickly with pork chops.

  • L.Nightshade on October 10, 2015

    Mr. Nightshade made these, and there were a couple deviations from the recipe, as usual. Our chops were loin chops, which are specifically precluded in the ingredient list, but they were the thickness specified. Also, he used a cast iron skillet. The chops developed a nice char on the outside, which was quite tasty with the salt and pepper. But to my taste they were slightly overdone using her timing. Perhaps that is due to the loin chop substitution? Or perhaps I just like them a little bit pinker. While these were tasty, and certainly easy, I felt they needed a little contrast. They're all umami and salt. I would have loved a tiny ramekin of something bright and faintly sweet alongside. We had a simple salad alongside, perhaps a salad with apples instead of tomatoes would have filled out the flavors better.

• Escarole salad in the Roman puntarelle style

  • L.Nightshade on October 07, 2015

    This salad is not quite revolutionary, but good enough. I liked the endive cut into ribbons, and I like most anything that is heavy on the garlic and anchovy. The addition of shaved ice seemed a bit odd, but it does pretty much dissolve into the dressing, and seems to keep the endive a little crispier than it might have been. Photo here: http://www.chowhound.com/post/october-2015-cotm-prune-gabrielle-hamilton-alda-prep-daily-1025640?commentId=9739825

• Sgropino

  • DKennedy on March 31, 2024

    We made this for our cocktail party on 5/29/24. We served it with the Garrotxa on p. 6 which we had to sub St. Germain because our cheesemonger advised the Garrotxa lately has been "inconsistent. The St. Germain was outstanding. Sourced from Andrew's Cheese shop on Montana. Loved the app, the cocktail was ok but not my taste.

• Smoked tomatoes

  • Foodo on May 24, 2024

    Genius recipe. I only used about half of the brown sugar and spice mix for one pound of tomatoes - I honestly couldn’t get more to stick

• Smoked tomato vinaigrette

  • Foodo on May 24, 2024

    Mouth watering delicious. I had a hard time smoking my tomato, but this season I have it all figured out, and can’t wait for tomato season!

• Pickled tomatoes

  • Foodo on May 24, 2024

    Made these again and again with the excess cherry tomatoes from my garden.

• Parsley-shallot butter

  • DKennedy on July 03, 2023

    This is the first recipe I am making from Prune. I made a 1/4 recipe using 1 stick of butter. I plan on using it on a beautiful bone in rib eye for date night and also for the burger recipe on 4th of July. I was concerned that the raw onion taste would be too strong but I used it on the steak as it left the pan and it was a perfect accent for my high end rib eye steak.

• Preserved lemon butter

  • DKennedy on March 31, 2024

    Wow. Sensational.

• Salsa verde

  • Totallywired on October 19, 2018

    Dynamite salsa verde, made more or less to spec. Makes a ton.

• Mojito

  • ChelseaP on July 08, 2022

    Loved this mojito.

• Classic Prune Bloody Mary

  • helskitchenvt on October 16, 2016

    After reading L.Nightshade's note, I did use the instructed brand ingredients and brought the result to a party where it was roundly praised as the best Bloody Mary ever, so my vote is that you do need to follow directions here. . . (it really is a lot of horseradish though, that is true - I'd recommend starting with half as much and building up to your desired strength).

  • L.Nightshade on October 10, 2015

    (The brand X version) Except for Lea and Perrins, I did not use any of the brand names called for, in spite of the highlighted, knuckle-slapping admonishment. Now, I am a bit of a Bloody Mary connoisseur. Not always with vodka, I like the gin and tequila versions also. I make them southwesterly with chiles and cumin. I make them Asian-esque, with sriracha and puréed kimchi. I make them whirred up with anchovies. And I make the traditional Bloody Mary, nicely garnished, with bacon if I have it. This one? Meh. As much as I love horseradish, it was ill-balanced in this drink. It was almost bitter, which I also do not ordinarily sense in horseradish. It was also too mild. Or maybe all my brand X ingredients really did bring it down. I’ll probably never know. But I will doctor up the remains to suit my taste. Oh, and I added a caperberry. Really went off the map with that indiscretion.

• Shrimp shells for stock

  • Totallywired on January 02, 2019

    A useful ingredient list and method. I have made shrimp stock before and found it too shrimpy. This one is balanced and fragrant. Will use for shrimp laksa.

• Food52 by Ryan Sutton

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