Compotes

Compotes are fruit products made by stewing fruits with sugar or in syrups, served hot or cold. Gentle simmering softens the fruit while the sugar draws out juices and builds a glossy syrup — a preparation older than canning and gentler than jam-making, since the fruit keeps its shape. Apples, pears, berries, and stone fruits all take well to it. Served warm over desserts or chilled as a simple sweet, compote is the cook’s middle path: more composed than fresh fruit, less transformed than preserves, and endlessly adaptable to spice and spirit.