I used to make jam. I used to boil jars and buy pectin and mash big quantities of ripe fruit. (Of course, when I lived in Canada, I had lots of family and friends that I could GIVE my finished jam to. Now that I’m in France, my distribution circle is more limited …)
Laziness also factored in. Who wants to drive to field, pick fruit, drive home, mash fruit, boil jars, burn self, eat too much, clean up sticky mess, then try to find people to give jam to …
So this year I’ve been making compote instead. One jar at a time. I’ve made strawberry rhubarb (super yum), and this morning I made Peach & Apricot compote.
What’s a compote? Well, I’m not going to fuss about the real definition (lazy, can’t be bothered to look it up).
When I say compote, I mean chunky-yummy stuff you spread on toast, that is NOT full of sugar, that you have to eat within 2-3 weeks, that you keep in the fridge or freezer (not on the shelf in the pantry for decades).
It’s a FRESH, healthy breakfast spread. How’s that for a ‘new’ definition of compote?
For this recipe, I used 2 peaches, 2 apricots, 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger (chopped), and 1 tablespoon maple syrup. You could easily double/triple this recipe if you’ve got a gang to feed.
INSTRUCTIONS:
First you have to get the skin off the peaches/apricots; so start by cutting a very shallow X on top
Then drop peaches/apricots into a pot of boiling water for 30-60 seconds
Who wants to bother with an ice bath? I just run them under cold water for a few seconds to stop the cooking …
Then you can easily peel off the skins
and you’re left with some naked fruit 
Cut the flesh off the fruit as best you can, leaving the pieces quite chunky.
Dump the water out of the pot, and put the fruit back into the same medium-sized pot.
I happen to keep chopped frozen ginger in the freezer for making lemon/ginger ‘tea’ … so I added 3 pieces of frozen ginger (turns out I couldn’t taste it in the final product, so next time I might add more … or add some peeled/grated ginger instead)
I also added 1 tablespoon of maple syrup – but again, not sure I needed it; my fruit was very sweet. I will leave it out next time and see how it tastes – then maybe add some in right at the end if necessary …
OK, cook your peaches/apricots, ginger, and maple syrup (no water, nothing else), over medium heat until bubbling and lovely; reduce heat and let let simmer for about 10-15 minutes until you can drag a spatula through the mixture and you can see it’s not runny – it’s nice and thick.
Fish out the 3 pieces of ginger, and any weird stringy bits from the apricot.
Spoon your compote into a clean jar. Store in the fridge. Eat soon.
Best served on half of a toasted bagel, with a Back-to-Basics baked egg. I had this for breakfast today!
CONTEST: Post a comment below. Then make this compote recipe and send me a PHOTO of your finished product (or a photo of you making the compote, doesn’t matter). I’ll randomly pick one winner from the comments/photos.
The winner will receive a copy of my archive audio CD, “Veggie Audio Bytes (Volume 1)” which contains 5 x 1 hour interviews, value $19.95 + shipping. [Read more about the CD here]
~ all best, and happy summer days,
Shelley
Very yummy looking! I canned tomatoes this afternoon and am still squeezie-ing off the windows…
Will definitely try this, maybe add it to jazz up my oatmeal.
I make yogurt cheese often and this compote would be simply FABULOUS on it!
Wow! Wish I had this the beginning of last month (July). A friend has peach trees and always brings me luscious peaches the first part of month. I tried making ‘refrigerator jam’ last summer with them that never did set up correctly. Next year I am trying this recipe for sure.
Shelley – Thanks for sharing your compote recipe. I have canned lot of jams, jellies, relish and other good stuff, but never tried compote. Now with less family around, less energy to do the picking, less people to help and to share with, I was definitely ready for a new idea. Neighbor just gave me some peaches and I know what I am going to make tomorrow. Sounds delicious!! Even if it does have naked fruit
Don’t know how to send pictures on this thing yet, so this is all you will get from me. Thanks again from Washington state.
Patsy
Hi, I would like to thankyou for the most entertaining compote recipe I have ever seen. Many thanks, it is the next thing on my to do list, after the dark chocolate truffles. I also live in France and have taken note of the label on your Maple Syrup jar.
Once again many thanks, Kath.
Sound fabulous, and low-sugar too! I love ginger so I would definitely give it a try with more ginger in.
PS Would annie or Shelley mind telling me what yoghurt cheese is? Sounds fascinating.
x
Yogurt cheese is simply strained yogurt. Very important to use one without gelatin; I use the Balkan-style natural yogourt by Astro http://astro.ca/index.php/products/sku/astro_original_balkan_plain_750g_family_tub.
I’ve tried it with the lesser fat one but it was not as tasty.
Initially, I used a regular plastic coffee machine filter on top of a bowl and let the yogurt strain for a few days until it become thick.
Last month I splurge on this yogurt maker http://www.cuisipro.com/site/eng/product_detail.aspx?category_id=category_007&subcategory_id=subcategory_053&product_id=prod_0144 and I have to say that it made a terrific difference: the yogurt is much thicker, and in less time.
And that’s all you need to do to have yogurt cheese!
It’s a great base for tzatziki or a tasty veggie dip. Or as I do often, a simple dessert: plain with honey, add fresh fruit or have it with Shelley’s Peach & Apricot compote and you’ll be in heaven!!
Your recipe sounds fabulous, I am going to try it very soon,thank you.Keep them coming. Lynne
ooh, I also hate canning, and all the mess. I usually freeze my skinned tomatoes and peaches, and I wonder if you’ve ever tried freezing excess compote?
This looks like great fun and great food. As always, Shelley, the pictures make it so EASY!
MMMMMMMM!!! Sounds delicious!!!!!!!Easy too! I agree the maple syrup may not be necessary if the fruit is really sweet!!
Thanks for making things simple! Worth a try.
Hi Shelley,
This is so delicious, I want to make a large batch to can. Have you canned this recipe before? Can I just increase the ingredients so I can have 5 small bottles?
thanks
Pilar, I’m not a canning expert, sorry! The only times I’ve made jam in the past, I’ve used commercial pectin to make sure it was set and preserved. BUT I do know that this recipe can be frozen, and so if you make it just like I do (increasing the ingredients as much as you like), then you can put the cooked compote into jars and store in the freezer for 9-12 months. Make sure you leave 1 inch of room at the top of the jar to allow for expansion when the compote freezes : )
~ all best, Shelley