Ignite Your Tastebuds: Firepit Feast Serves Up Prune-Powered Perfection
Gather ’round, flavor lovers: a new cookbook is about to spark some serious culinary joy. Firepit Feast: Adventurous Recipes for Live-Fire Cooking by chef, food stylist, and live-fire expert Diana Yen hits shelves on May 13, 2025, and it’s exactly what your backyard (and your taste buds) have been waiting for.
Firepit Feast is rooted in the primal joy of cooking over an open flame—a tradition that goes back two million years. It celebrates the smoky magic only live fire can bring. Think everything from sizzling steaks to ember-roasted veggies and yes, even sweet, caramel-kissed fruit. Diana’s 75 recipes are all about making live-fire cooking approachable, even if you’ve never so much as toasted a marshmallow without supervision.
And nestled among the deliciousness? California Prunes have their moment to shine—or should we say, smolder. The “Drunken Prunes on Horseback” recipe (full details below!) is a knockout. Think plump prunes soaked in bourbon, filled with creamy goat cheese, wrapped lovingly in bacon, and finished with a drizzle of hot honey. It’s smoky, sweet, salty, rich, and just the right amount of boozy. Trust us, these prunes are anything but “just for Grandma.”
Firepit Feast Delivers Deliciousness
In Firepit Feast, Diana guides readers through foolproof techniques using everything from cast-iron skillets to foil packets and pudgy pie irons. She ensures that every home cook (and every camper) can find their fire-cooked groove. Her book even includes ready-to-go menus for backyard parties and camping weekends. Diana makes it easy to turn any night into a “why didn’t we do this sooner?” kind of gathering.
Whether you’re craving a fireside seafood feast or dreaming of dunking a churro into thick, molten chocolate, Firepit Feast is your invitation to unplug, gather, and savor the magic of live fire cooking—with a little help from your favorite naturally sweet, nutrient-packed ingredient: California Prunes.
Ready to fire up some unforgettable memories? Firepit Feast and a bag of California Prunes are all you need. So start cooking up smoky, sweet, and totally shareable magic.
Drunken Prunes on Horseback
Equipment
- 12-inch (30 cm) cast-iron skillet
Ingredients
- 20 medium California Prunes pitted
- ½ cup bourbon
- 4 ounces soft, fresh goat cheese at room temperature
- 10 slices bacon halved crosswise
- Hot honey for drizzling
Instructions
- Place the prunes in a bowl and pour the bourbon over them, ensuring they’re fully submerged. Cover and let soak at room temperature for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.
- Remove the prunes from the bourbon and pat dry (discard the soaking liquid).
- Gently stuff each prune with goat cheese through its opening, then lightly squeeze to seal.
- Wrap each prune with a half slice of bacon, covering the opening. Ensure the bacon overlaps and trim any excess.
- Prepare a medium-heat fire and set a grate over it.
- Place the wrapped prunes seam side down in a cast-iron skillet, leaving space between them.
- Set the skillet over the fire and cook undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes to brown and seal the bacon.
- Gently flip and continue cooking, turning as needed until all sides are crispy and browned, about 2 to 3 minutes more.
- Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Drizzle with hot honey and serve warm.
- Pro Tip: Start with a cold skillet for even crisping and less sticking!
Nutrition
Meet Diana Yen
DIANA YEN is a cookbook writer, photographer, and food stylist living in Ojai, California. She is the author of A Simple Feast and new cookbook Firepit Feast. Her projects with leading food and lifestyle brands focus on the simplicity and elegance of everyday meals. With a background in home and lifestyle design, she strives to bring a sense of beauty and community to the table. Yen’s recipes, photography, and writing have been featured in Kinfolk, Cherry Bombe, Bon Appétit, Saveur, Food & Wine, Epicurious, and many other publications.
IG: @diana_yen_
All the Devils on Horseback Recipes You Need
Devils on Horseback with California Prunes
This classic appetizer gets a naturally sweet upgrade with California Prunes. Wrapped in crispy bacon and filled with creamy blue cheese and toasted almonds, these bite-sized beauties hit every flavor note—sweet, salty, smoky, and tangy. They’re simple to make, impossible to resist, and always the first to disappear at any gathering.
Drunken Devils on Horseback
What’s the secret to Nigella Lawson‘s Drunken Devils on Horseback? She soaks her prunes in Armagnac before stuffing and wrapping them. Giddy up!
Vegetarian Devils on Horseback
You’ll love this vegetarian take on the classic appetizer, courtesy of Big Delicious Life!
Prosciutto-Wrapped Prunes
G-Free Foodie‘s lighter take on Devils on Horseback subs the bacon for thin slices of prosciutto and adds parmesan and walnuts in place of the traditional goat cheese!
