Looks so fancy, right? Listen, I’m sure there is a world in which fruit compotes are fussy and complicated, but if you know anything about me, you’ll know that that’s just not how I roll. My mixed berry compote is very much an “everybody in the pool, and forget about it for a while while it’s simmering” sort of sauce. And oh man, is it magical. Trust me on this – just try it. You won’t regret it.

The goods:

  • Your fruit of choice – I love to use frozen mixed berries.
  • Your sweetener of choice – I default to white granulated sugar because it’s the closest thing within arm’s reach when I’m standing at my stove.
  • Orange, lemon, or lime juice.
  • Optional add-ins: vanilla extract, rose water, cinnamon, nutmeg, or fresh mint (You can do some mixing and matching, but I would definitely not recommend all those things in the same batch)

The method:

  • Everybody in the pool. Seriously. Dump your frozen fruit in a pot. Add a few spoonfuls of sweetener, and a couple splashes of your citrus juice.
  • Whack it on the stove on relatively low heat, and just let it cook. It’ll take a while for the fruit to thaw and start breaking down, but then it will start cooking itself into a delightful sauce.
  • Keep it on a simmer or at most a low boil until the fruit’s basically mush and/or the liquid coats the back of a spoon.
    • If you’re adding other stuff, do dried spices early in the simmering process (or like right as soon as everything becomes liquid). If extracts or fresh things, add towards the end (like in the last five minutes)
  • That’s it! Taste your compote at least a couple times while it cooks, and if it needs more sweet or more citrus, add a bit more. If it’s been simmering for a while and it’s just not getting thick, you can add some cornstarch slurry to tighten it up – but go easy. You want a sauce, not a pudding. (Though no judgement if you want a jam or a pudding, honestly.)

And that’s it! You can enjoy this on: pancakes, crepes, waffles, scones, cake, brownies, blondies, ice cream, yogurt, fresh fruit, toast, porridge…

You know what, I think I need to go get myself some breakfast now.

Happy feasting!