Prunes in Tamarillo and Chocolate Sauce

Food author, journalist and restaurateur Lois Daish was a regular columnist with the NZ Listener magazine for nearly 25 years. This sensational prune and tamarillo recipe is a Lois stand-out: a simple winter dessert with remarkably rich and complex flavours, using beautiful tamarillos.

You will need:
2 tamarillos
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
splash of port or marsala (Lois kindly says this is “optional”, presumably to cater for non-drinking cooks, but take no notice)
1 tablespoon cocoa
12 pitted prunes

Plunge the tamarillos into a pot of boiling water, leave for a minute, drain and peel. Slice finely and put in a pot with the water, sugar and port or marsala. Simmer for 10 minutes, then strain, pressing some of the tamarillo pulp through the sieve. Put the cocoa in a small pot and graudally stir in the syrup. Bring to the boil and add the prunes. Simmer for 5 minutes, then leave to steep for several hours. Reheat and serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Serves 2-3.