After “The simplest of jams”,  I have taken the already simple compote recipe down to the essentials too. It requires only one ingredient: fruit.

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Recipe

Ingredients: fruit
Kitchen essentials: a knife, a peeler (the knife would do), a saucepan and a spoon.
Well, you will need a hob and a bin too, and a fridge if you don’t eat the compote on the day…*

– Peel and core (apples, pears), stone (plums, apricots), rinse quickly under cold water and remove stems (soft fruit).
– Cut apples and pears into small pieces.
– Cook for ten minutes in the saucepan over medium heat, adding a little water to get the consistency you want and stirring occasionally with the spoon to avoid burning.

And that’s it! You can now cool the compote down by putting its container in cold water in the sink, for instance if you want to eat it warm at the end of your lunch, or just leave it to cool down by itself if you want to eat it later on.

Did it take more than five minutes to prepare and put the fruit in the saucepan before cooking? If you made two kilos at once for the weekly consumption of your large family, the answer is probably yes…

You can also elaborate from this basic recipe, and I recommend that you have a look at the compote page of this blog to see more making and eating suggestions.

Illustration

Apple compote made 6th October

I purchased four apples on the local market on Saturday to make this compote.

The glass container will take less space in the fridge. Photo 6th October.

Children can play “the longest peel”.

More of an adult thing.

Depending on the apple cultivar, the pieces will either completely or partly melt during cooking. Eating apples can be used as well as cooking apples. It is a question of taste, and I actually like to change, so use for instance acidic Bramleys which completely melt and Orange Pippins for a sweet aromatic result.

Ready to eat! It took 15 minutes to make this compote, cooking included.

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* Fresh compote should be kept in the fridge and eaten within a fews days.