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This recipe for Apple Pear Compote is a delicious way to add some fresh fruit flavors to any meal.
Our compote uses Red Delicious apples, Bartlett pears and golden raisins that have been cooked in a mixture of lemon juice, sugar, vanilla and a blend of spices. We’ve also added Calvados, a French apple brandy, which adds an extra level of delicious flavors to this apple pear compote.
A compote (which means “mixture” in French) originated in 17th century France as a dessert made with whole or pieces of fruit that have been cooked in a sugar syrup. According to Wikkipedia, the French invented compote believing that fruit cooked in sugar syrup balanced the effects of humidity on the body.
While originally served as a dessert (this is fabulous served warm over vanilla ice cream!), we think this apple pear compote is equally good as a side dish to pork or chicken.
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Apple Pear Compote
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Juice of half a lemon
- Zest of one lemon
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Pinch of powdered ginger
- Pinch of allspice
- 1 tablespoon Calvados or apple jack (optional – but highly recommended for its flavor)
- 6 Red Delicious apples, peeled, cored and cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and cut into bite sized pieces
Instructions
- Combine raisins, butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, vanilla, salt, spices and brandy in a large pan and heat and stir to blend ingredients.
- Add apples and pears and simmer 15 minutes or until sauce is thick and fruit is tender.
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Notes
If rhubarb is in season, you can replace the pears with rhubarb and increase sugar to ½ a cup.
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Overall, a great simple and easy recipe to get some fruit in your diet. My husband loves baked apples and apple compote. I have to plead guilty to messing with the recipe. Some things I didn’t have in my pantry on short notice; no apple brandy so I used Marsala cooking wine instead. Nice depth of flavor. I didn’t have any ginger (shame on me!) so I used ground cardamom instead. Slightly different flavor I guess but it was still yummy and not too much prep time . Thanks!
You’re welcome Barbara – I like your adaptations! 🙂