You can make fruit compote with fresh or frozen fruit. It is quick and easy to make.

Fruit Compote is tasty, versatile and easy to make.

Compote is healthier to spread on toast than jam, the sugar content is lower. It is easier to make than jam and you can make a batch and store it in the fridge for two or three days.

You can use fruits that are in season and you can even mix small quantities of different fruits.

If no fresh fruit is available you can use defrosted frozen fruit.

What do You Need to Make A Fruit Compote?

A hob to cook it on, a saucepan to cook it in, a wooden spoon to stir it with.

This recipe can be varied to suit your own taste preference.

A selection of fruit, of your choice; here are some fruits that I find make good compote:

(use one type of fruit or mix e.g blackberries &raspberries.)

Suitable fruits:

Plums, strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb, blackberries, cherries

and apples go well with any of these fruits.

The quantity of fruit you cook does not matter; so long as you have enough to form a reasonable layer in the saucepan.

Sugar quantity = to your taste and the batch size that you are preparing.

Vanilla sugar *gives a very nice flavour to the compote and I always use it for compote. It is simple to make but if you have no vanilla sugar; any sugar white or brown are ok (apart from the very dark, molasses tasting ones).

*Vanilla sugar is made by adding a vanilla pod to a jar of sugar and storing it with the pod in the jar. Over time the sugar picks up the flavour of the sugar and imparts a delicate taste when used in custards and with fruit etc.

To Make The Fruit Compote:

Place your fruit in the saucepan, on a gentle heat on the hob of your cooker. You may need to add a small amount of water if the fruit is one that does not have a high water/moisture content (frozen fruit tends to have a higher water content than fresh) you can add a couple of tablespoons of wine instead or as well if you wish.

(Wine goes very well with plums.)

Simmer the contents in th saucepan on the hob until the fruit starts to soften; stir gently now just enough so that the fruit does not stick to the pan; do not allow it to burn.

Now add your sugar not too much at first, taste the fruit as you add the sugar do not make it too sweet or leave it too tart. Take care not to burn yourself when testing it the fruit and sugar hold the heat.

Once the fruit has softened but before it turns to a pulp or goes too mushy it is done and you should remove it from the heat to cool.

Serving suggestions: You can serve this with ice cream, custard, sponge cakes and custard, cream such as Cornish clotted cream, plain yogurt or Greek yogurt and honey.

If fresh fruit is not available and you use a bag of frozen fruit you may need to add more sugar than with fresh fruit to thicken it; because of the moisture content in frozen fruit. Another idea is to add a sliced up apple or two to the frozen fruit such as blackberries or raspberries,fruits.

 When using frozen fruit to make your fruit compote you will find that the moisture content of the fruit varies more than with fresh fruit.

This means that you will need to vary the amount of sugar you add to it and  be prepared to add a sliced up fresh apple or two to it  iif it is very moist.  Do not add water or liquid to it until you have seen how much liquid is coming out of the frozen fruit as you gently cook it. It may take longer to turn into compote than fresh fruit and may contain less whole fruits at the end of the cooking time. If it seems very moist/liquid  you may have to simmer it until it reduces down to the right consistency/texture. The apples help it to 'set' and thicken it is the pectin in apples that does this (pectin what is used to set strawberry jam).