Fresh Fruit Compote

 

One thing I have always loved when travelling on the Continent are the breakfasts we have been offered at  most of the places we have stayed overnight.

 

Europeans really know how to do breakfast right . . .  with freshly  baked rolls, breads or croissants . . .  granola or muesli . . . fresh fruits, cheeses and sliced meats . . .  yogurts . . .  fresh fruit compotes.

 

When we were staying in Austria we had these beautiful stewed plums on offer each morning.  I loved them and had them along with some yogurt and granola every morning while we were there. You might think I would get bored with that option, but I just didn't. 

 

I actually enjoy a breakfast like that much more than any other kind.  While I am hungry in the mornings, I am not fond of much that is heavy or that will lay on my stomach uncomfortably.  I am a person who enjoys a light breakfast for the most part, unless it is much later in the morning or a brunch.  Come brunch time, watch out!

  

Fruit compotes are a beautiful way to start your day, and they are so very easy to make.  All you need is fruit and a sweetener of some kind. 

 

You can use fresh or frozen fruit. Actually, a compote is a wonderful way to use that supermarket fresh fruit that doesn't seem to ripen properly. With a bit of honey  or maple syrup, and cooked until soft, it turns into something very beautiful indeed.

 

You can use it on it's own, spooned over yogurt or granola, or layered in a glass with both  . . . 

 

You can layer it in jars when you are making your overnight oats . . .  

 

Its great served as dessert with rice pudding.  We especially love a cherry compote with rice pudding.

 

Its incredibly delicious served warm and spooned over cold vanilla ice cream! 

 

This one here today is an apricot compote which I made using some apricots I had frozen from last year.  I wanted to use them up before the new season starts. 

 

I sweetened them with a bit of honey  . . .  so it's an honeyed apricot compote  . . .

 

Incredibly delicious served layered in a glass with some of my homemade granola and plain yogurt.  I could eat this every day, no kidding! 

 

You can also use dried fruit, bearing in mind that you will have to soak them for a while first to plump them back up again.  Prunes are especially delicious done this way. 

  

I like to stick to simple sweeteners  . . .  natural ones, rather than sugar.  When I do that I feel like an earth mother.  I know  . . .  its all in my mind . . .

Yield: variableAuthor: Marie Rayner

Fresh Fruit Compote

A very continental fruit compote is a beautiful way to add interest to your morning breakfast.  Its also pretty fabulous spooned over scoops of vanilla bean ice cream.

ingredients:

• 450g fresh or frozen fruit
• 2 TBS honey or maple syrup
• pinch salt

Variations:

• Grated Lemon or orange zest (1/4 teaspoon added before cooking) (apples, pears, plums)
• Ground cinnamon or ginger (1/4 teaspoon added before cooking) (apples and pears)
• Vanilla extract or paste (1/2 teaspoon added after cooking) (all stone fruit goes well as does rhubarb)
• Balsamic vinegar, white or dark (1 to 2 teaspoons added after cooking) (berries love this)
• Lemon juice or orange juice (1 to 2 tablespoons added after cooking)
• Fresh mint or basil leaves (add after cooking) (great with berries)
• Freshly ground black pepper (to taste, add after cooking) (especially good with strawberries)

instructions:

1. First prepare your fruit for cooking.  If you are using peaches or apricots you may want to remove the skin first.  To do this, make an X on the bottom and then immerse into boiling water for about 60 seconds.  The skin should then just slip off.
2. I like to peel apples and pears and core, discarding both the stem and bottom bits.
3. For any fruit with pits such as peaches, plums, apricots, cherries, etc. you will want to halve them and dispose of the pits.
4. You can keep small berries, such as currants, blackberries, raspberries, small strawberries or blueberries  whole.  Large berries should be cut in half.
5. Cut larger fruits into slices or cubes.  If you are  using frozen fruit, there is no need to do this, or to defrost.
6. Put the prepped fruit into a large non-reactive saucepan along with your sweetener of choice and a pinch of salt.  Bring to the boil over moderate heat.  (This will take longer if you are using frozen fruit)
7. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the compote has reached your desired consistency.  I like it when i has roughly reduced in volume by half.  Mash with a potato masher if you want a smoother puree.  I like a mix of chunks and puree.
8. Taste and adjust sweetening as desired with more syrup or honey.  Cool completely and store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

NOTES:

Note - if you are using a really tart fruit, such as rhubarb, you will need to use appreciably  more honey or syrup to make it palatable.

Created using The Recipes Generator

 

A fruit compote is a really delicious way to get in at least one of your five a day!  Break out your Edith Piaf music, a hot pot of cocoa or coffee, some fresh croissants, yogurt and some muesli and you will feel for all the world like you are holidaying in France.  True! Bon Appetit!