FRUIT COMPOTE / ELEGANT DESSERT / FAVORITE RECIPES

FRUIT COMPOTE / ELEGANT DESSERT / FAVORITE RECIPES

When grandmothers canned and dried their own fruit, compotes were served as a warm side dish to the traditional oven roasted turkey or grandpas slow smoked ham dinner at family reunions, church pot lucks on Sunday and all holidays.  Every cook produced an original, secret recipe!  The fruit compote, served in marvelously designed glass compote bowls, adds an attractive touch to any table setting.  Recipes follow:

MIXED DRIED FRUIT COMPOTE   Serves 4

Prep 5 minutes / Cook 9 minutes

12 oz.	Mixed dried fruits (peaches, pears, apricots, prunes)
½ cup	Dried apple slices
2 Tb.	Dried currants
1 cup	Water
1 cup	White wine
2 Tb.	Super fine sugar
1 Tb.	Minced fresh ginger
½ tsp.	Vanilla extract

Combine mixed fruits, apple slices and currants in a medium microwave-safe bowl.  Mix the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl, pour over fruit and stir thoroughly to combine.  Cover with microwave-safe plastic wrap.

Microwave on HIGH 2 minutes; remove plastic, stir and cover.  Microwave for 3 minutes.  Stir once again and cover with plastic.  Microwave 4 minutes longer.  Fruit should be soft.  Stir and serve warm.

BLUEBERRY-PEACH COMPOTE    Serves 4

Prep 5 minutes / Cook 4 minutes

1 16 oz. bag	Frozen unsweetened sliced peaches, thawed
½ cup	Water
6 Tb.	Or juice of one orange
2 Tb.	Sugar
1 tsp.	Orange-flavored liqueur
½ cup	Fresh or thawed frozen blueberries
1 Tb.	Julienned orange zest (colored part of peel)

Combine peaches, the water, orange juice, sugar and liqueur in medium microwave-safe bowl.  Cover with microwave-safe plastic wrap.  Microwave on HIGH 2 minutes.  Remove plastic, stir and cover.  Microwave 2 minutes longer.

Stir in blueberries and orange zest.  Cover with plastic and let stand 2 minutes.  Serve warm.

HONEY-PEAR COMPOTE   Serves 4

Prep 10 minutes / cook 3 minutes

1 cup	Water
2 Tb.	Honey
2 tsp.	Fresh lemon juice
4	Paper-thin slices lemon
3	Ripe medium pears, pared, cored, sliced
2	Dried pear halves, cut lengthwise into thick strips
1	Stick cinnamon  (21/2 inch)
3	cloves

Mix the water, honey and lemon juice in a medium microwave-safe bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and stir thoroughly, Cover with microwave-safe plastic wrap.

Microwave on HIGH 3 minutes.  Dried pears should be soft, Remove cinnamon stick and cloves and serve warm.

FIG-APRICOT COMPOTE   Serves 4

Prep 10 minutes / cook 3 minutes

1/3 cup	Pine nuts
2 cans	(17 oz. size) Kadota figs
1 can	(5 ½ oz.)  apricot nectar
1/3 cup	Thin strips dried apricots

Toast pine nuts in a small skillet over low heat.  Drain figs and mix with apricot nectar and dried apricots in medium microwave-safe bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap.  Microwave on HIGH 3 minutes.  Dried apricots should be soft.  Sprinkle with pine nuts and serve warm.

Shebolith Says…The best memories were born in the early 1950’s when grandma’s warm fruit compote and grandpa’s fresh homemade ice cream was served (in the same bowl) late in the evening when the cicadas begin to sing their raspy lullabies and the fireflies mesmerize the gaze…