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It’s National Fruit Compote Day—although a compote is de facto made of fruit, so a simple National Compote Day would suffice.
Compote de fruits, or fruit compote, is mixed, sweetened fruit cooked on the stovetop. Compote de pommes or compote d’abricots is a single stewed fruit (here, apples and apricots, respectively).
Compote can be made from fresh or dried fruits or a combination, and can be served warm or chilled. It is a delicious dessert as well as a side dish (wonderful with poultry, ham and roast pork) and a brunch dish.
As a dessert, garnished compote with cream, whipped cream, ice cream (try a parfait) or crème fraîche. Plain stewed fruit is just as delightful (the difference is below3).
We first learned to love compote at the knee of our Nana, who loved to stew seasonal fruits for dessert—stone fruits in the fall, rhubarb and strawberries in the spring, cherries and apples in the summer.
> Her recipe is below.
> National Fruit Compote Day is March 1st.
> 80 more fruit holidays.
COOKED FRUIT HISTORY
As a recipe, cooked fruit is as old as the invention of clay pots, which were needed to boil water. (The oldest fired clay containers were made in Japan between 10,700 and 8,000 B.C.E.).
The fruits were first cooked with honey. By the 17th century when sugar was more available, wealthier people switched to a sugar syrup.*
Spices and other flavorings were added to the recipe (cinnamon, lemon zest, nutmeg, orange peel, vanilla), along with nuts and coconut. There are as many different recipes for compote as there are cooks.
Dried fruit such as raisins or prunes can be mixed with fresh fruit compote.
Liqueur, brandy or other alcohol can be added (our grandmother was fond of Kirschwasser [cherry liqueur] or Grand Marnier [orange liqueur]).
Check out more optional ingredients in the recipe.
What’s The Difference Between Stewed Fruit & Compote?
Fruit compote and stewed fruit are similar, but there are some key differences.
In short, compote is typically sweeter and more syrupy, while stewed fruit is more natural and simple cooked fruit, minimally sweetened.
Fruit compote is made by simmering fruit in sugar syrup, sometimes with added spices, citrus zest, or liqueurs. It often has a syrupy consistency and is used as a topping for desserts, yogurt, or pancakes, but can be paired with savory dishes such as cheese or roasted meats and seafood.
Stewed Fruit: Simply fruit cooked in water (sometimes with a little sugar or spices) until softened. It is usually chunkier, less sweet, and often eaten on its own or used in baking and breakfasts.
Oh, and the word compote comes from the French word compôte, which means “stewed fruit.”
RECIPE: NANA’S FRUIT COMPOTE
One usually begins with seasonal fruits, but we’re in-between seasons now.
Apples, pears and mangoes are plentiful, and we’re adding some prunes for color interest and flavor variety.
You can mix your cooking liquid as you wish, dividing among fruit juice and wine, for example.
You can also make compote entirely from dried fruits. See the variation below.
Make some compote tonight!
Ingredients
3 or more fresh seasonal fruits
Optional “extras” (see list below)
Fruit juice: apple, cranberry, orange, pomegranate
Other liquid: wine or water, with an optional touch of fruit liqueur, rum, or brandy
Choice of flavorings: cardamom cinnamon, citrus zest or juice, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla extract
Optional: a touch balsamic vinegar, black pepper, orange blossom or rose water
Sugar: white cane or brown sugar or substitute
Optional Ingredients
Dried fruits (apricots, coconut, cranberries, figs, prunes)
Nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts)
Fresh herbs (basil, mint, thyme)
Preparation
1. SLICE the fruits. With most fruits such as apples, pears, and stone fruits, you can retain the nutritious peel. Other fruits, such as mangoes and papayas, need to be peeled before cooking.
2. HEAT 1 cup of the liquid in a large saucepan to a slow boil, along with the flavorings. If you don’t have any of the suggested liquids, you can use sugared water.
3. ADD the sliced fruit and 1/4 cup cane sugar or brown sugar (or half as much honey, agave, or date syrup), and cook on medium heat until the fruit can be pierced with a fork (it’s up to you as to how al dente you like your cooked fruit).
Note: You can use less sugar and adjust the sweetness after cooking.
4. REMOVE the pan from the heat; remove cinnamon stick. Mix in additional any ingredients (dried fruits, nuts, zest, etc.) and serve warm or chilled.
Variation: Dried Fruits. If you’re making compote from dried fruits exclusively, cook in the hot liquid for 10 or 15 minutes; then turn off the heat and let the fruits sit in the liquid for 6 hours or overnight, until they soften.
Variation: Microwave. You can also make a quick fruit compote in the microwave. Place the ingredients in a covered microwave-safe dish for 2 minutes or longer, until your desired softness is achieved.
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*Honeybees are far older than mankind, originating in Asia and migrating to Africa, then to Europe (Europeans brought them to America). See the history of honey. Sugar, also native to Asia, has been produced since ancient times; but due to the expense of extracting it, honey was most often used for sweetening.
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[1] A yogurt parfait with berry-pomegranate compote (photo by Pete Rukule © Pom Wonderful).
[2] For breakfast or brunch, to pancakes or French toast with compote instead of syrup (photo © Pom Wonderful).
[3] With cocktails, spoon compote over a baked Brie; here, a ginger-pear compote (photos #3 and #7 © Dairy Farmers Of Wisconsin).
[4] Blueberry-apple compote atop roast lamb. Here’s the recipe (B.C. Blueberry Council).
[5] Time for dessert! Spoon compote on ice cream or pudding (photo © Good Eggs).
[6] This cherry-raspberry compote is so much better than cherry topping from a can (photo © Karolina Grabowska | Pexels).
[7] A simple-yet-elegant dessert is a slice of fine cheese (here, Drunken Goat, a semi-soft cheese from Spain also made in the U.S.) with a dish of compote.
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