Recipes to use up lots of dried fruit?

You have to try: http://www.food52.com/recipes/9268_pickled_prunes by hardlikearmour, they are fantastic. When I made this recipe, I used a mixture of all different dried fruits including prunes: golden raisins, dry cherries, dry cranberries, what ever you have! Highly recommend. Wonderful with cheese, pate, & a glass of wine.

Elizabeth David has a great recipe in French Provincial Cooking for pork with prunes. This mo's Food and Wine features a leg of lamb with dried apricots. Dried cherries and duck or chicken would make a great combination. Sauerbraten would probably be good with gingery dried fruit. Venison and dried blueberries.
You get the idea...

Hi N - My question is what are the dried fruits you have to work with? That will focus the recipes. And what a wonderful problem you have!

Also, love all the recipes to date.

Make homemade granola!

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Marmalade to serve with cheese, sauteed as a topping for yogurt, or throw in some granola.

In Eastern Europe they like to simmer dried fruits in water with sugar and spices, either to make a drink called Kompot. Some of the fruit would be spooned into each glass and it is slurped up at the end - the prize at the bottom of the glass.

I love to cook dried fruit into my morning oatmeal. Once everything is done, I stir in some molasses. Great way to start the day. As well, Molly Wizenberg's stewed prunes are AMAZING! and so easy.

For something different, try a mostarda! It is a fantastic Italian condiment for roasted meats, but I also love it with cheeses. It is a sweet and sour condiment that can use a combination of dried and fresh fruits, fresh citrus segments and peel, mustard, vinegar...there are a million recipes, here is one I like that I have adapted to what I have on hand http://cookingwithamy.blogspot.com/2007/07/mostarda-recipe.html

I have a loaf of AJ's pan de higo weighted down right now! Other ideas - depending on what kind you have - I throw some in my oatmeal in the morning - sometimes fig, date and walnuts, sometimes cranberry and blueberry, golden raisin, etc. You can put out a bowl of a mix of dried fruit, nuts and mini dark chocolate chips for a snack. Another option is biscotti. I make them this time of year with dried pear and candied ginger, or dried cranberries and five spice powder, or dried cherries with dark chocolate, etc. I think I have a boscotti recipe on here.

They keep for a while so don't feel too rushed!

I made some pan de higo with cherries, by the way, and it was fantastic. You should chop them though, because they make cutting a clean slice a bit difficult, even with a very sharp knife. ;o)

A wonderful thing to do with dried mission figs is to steep them in my "Smoking Bishop" hot winter punch, which I posted here a few weeks ago. You warm red wine, orange peel (which I would zest) and spices). Skip the roasting of the oranges, if you want and just add a bit of juice. I'd put the spices in a cheesecloth bag and let it sit overnight. Then I'd add the figs and some port and warm it again. Then put it all in a quart jar with the cheesecloth bag if you want strong spice notes, or not, if you don't. Turn the jar upside down every day if the fruit is not covered with liquid. Or add more wine or port. Use ruby port, which is fruitier and friendlier for this use. I just finished a jar that I'd been "working on" (2 figs for dessert every night for the past two weeks, sometimes with a spoonful of vanilla ice cream). Delicious. ;o)

The pan de higo looks interesting, so do the fruitcake brownies. Does anyone have a great boozy fruitcake recipe otherwise? I could probably pass it off to SOMEONE during the holidays. :)

Saute it with ground beef or ground turkey, with onions and garlic, as if for a meat sauce. Optional: add pine nuts or almond too. I did this to use up dried dates last week and it was a winner.

The Fruitcake Inspired Brownies ( on this site - a recent runner up - looks awesome.

Add to salad, cottage cheese, or yogurt, with or without nuts.



Add to cake or muffin batter.

How about AJ's http://www.food52.com/recipes/14887_slightly_savory_pan_de_higo She uses figs and prunes I think but I bet she would have recomendations for the addition of different types of dried fruits. There is always fruitcake, or spiced wine you can add a mixture of dried and fresh fruit and use the boozy dried fruit in loafs or cookies or here we go again fruitcake.