Recipe: Winter Fruit Compote
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17 May 2011
Perfect on porridge or in puddings!
Apple, pear and quince are jewels of winter. Here they are slowly baked with fragrant spices to make a mildly sweet, rose-hued compote that can be served at either end of the day, with breakfast or dessert. Try it on porridge or muesli, with pancakes or crepes or as an alternative filling for puddings, crumbles and sweet pies.
If quince is unavailable simply replace it with extra apples or pears, or even rhubarb. The compote will keep in the fridge for about 4 days or frozen for 2 months.
Ingredients
2 tbsp panela sugar
4 star anise
2 cloves
1 vanilla pod, split in half
½ tsp ground ginger
2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into quarters
2 pears, peeled, cored and cut into quarters
2 medium sized quinces, cleaned, peeled, cored (reserve these) and cut into eighths
peel of 1 mandarin
Method
1. Preheat oven 140°C.
2. Combine sugar with 1 cup water in a large wide saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Wrap the quince peel, cores and mandarin peel in muslin, tie up and add to the saucepan with the spices and fruit. Cover and place in oven for between 2 and 3 hours, gently stirring every hour. Remove when the fruits are soft and pink.
3. Serve immediately or allow to cool before using for baking or storing.