The list of things that Americans fear gets longer by the moment. If you scroll pretty far down, you’ll probably find prunes.

And it’s no wonder, given our unpleasant associations with brown juice usually consumed as a desperate measure. The attempt to rebrand them as dried plums didn’t do much, either.

Living in France changed my perspective, though. Prunes showed up there in luxurious full-fat yogurt, a true gourmandise. Those tiny packs became a favorite, second only to a local bakery’s buttery raisin and chocolate chip pastries.

Recently I searched for prune dessert recipes, hoping we’d made progress stateside. Disappointingly, most were for fibrous bars more healthful than indulgent. Then I spotted one that called for dousing prunes in brandy, setting them on fire, and baking them in custard. Hell yes.