Governor Frank Clement’s “Prune Soufflé”

Our third prune-based dish on Cookin’ with Congress. We’ve done a whip, a duff, and now, a soufflé. I think prunes get a bad rap as “old people food” or “laxative raisins” or “boomer juice” but they are so much more. No one looks down on a plum, why should we disrespect the humble prune?

There is usually something else to disrespect about these recipes anyway…

Governor Frank Clement

Democratic Governor from Tennessee

Favorite Food/Homespun Recipe: Recipe

Notable:

providing free textbooks for school children; dying in a nasty car accident

Quotable:

“In my opinion, there are three qualities we American people must require in our leaders. First is character. Without it ability may be misused. Second is ability. Third is diplomacy, without which character and ability might be wasted.”

As always, I followed the recipe word for word, no alterations:

INGREDIENTS

20 prunes

12 egg whites, pinch of salt

2.5 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla flavoring

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook prunes and run through sieve.

Right away, we’re operating without a net. How long do I cook the prunes? HOW do I cook the prunes? Run them through a sieve? Run prunes, what the hell does that mean?? Don’t panic — I’ve stewed prunes before. You’ll want to place the prunes in enough water to cover them by at least an inch, then bring to a boil on your stovetop. After it hits a boil, turn it down to a simmer and let it go. for 15-20 minutes. It should be syrupy. Then you mash the prune and syrup mixture through a sieve, pressing the pulp through. This will take a minute, and it will look gross. Don’t think about what this looks like. If you have dogs or children, this process will bring back memories and I am sorry.

2. Beat egg whites until stiff, add salt.

3. Fold sugar and vanilla flavoring into egg whites, then add prunes.

Vanilla flavoring, not necessarily vanilla extract, so don’t be shy about using the cheap, fake stuff. If you’re afraid that dumping in a hefty amount of sugar might weigh down the airy whites you worked so hard to fluff up, you’re right! That is absolutely going to happen. You will be broken, much like the chemical bonds holding together the stiff egg whites. A shame, but if you follow Frank Clement’s recipe, you’re going to collapse your meringue.

4. Turn into ungreased pan and bake in a slow oven for 45 minutes.

Ungreased is another wild decision by the governor. I mean he specifically says “don’t you dare grease that damn pan” so if it sticks….anyway, a slow oven is 300 to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. I chose 300.

Voila! If you want to actually watch me attempt to eat it, go to the Cookin’ with Congress Instagram or TikTok OR…YouTube! Beautifully browned, but undeniably a little shaky in the center. We’ve already covered why, and you chemistry nerds can explain it better than me (chemistry was my worst subject in high school) — it’s the massive amount of granulated sugar added in after the beating that caused our problems here. And yet…the soufflé is still somewhat in tact and filling my home with the smell of stewed prunes. You, too, can live this dream.

Verdict:

Oof, my dentist is going to hate me for this one. The sugar leaves the soufflé gritty, like sweet sand, and this will sound crazy, but it needed more prunes. What am I saying?