I have a berry, berry good post for you today. Last week I was trying to decide what recipe to share with you all before I left for Zambia. I wanted to share a recipe that used ingredients from the Pacific Northwest where I spent the summer back at home. I also wanted it to be a food that I was going to miss, mostly because I wanted a last hurrah with a favorite food. I knew I’d miss fresh summer berries, and what better berry to showcase the blackberries bursting in the PNW? And we have a gorgeous rhubarb plant growing in our backyard and a big box of strawberries in the fridge that were on the verge of funkiness. This led to an aha moment: I would do a post on compotes! Blackberry mint compote and strawberry rhubarb compotes to be exact.
The PNW is bursting with blackberries right now. There’s no reason to buy blackberries in the PNW this time of year – they are right under your nose for the picking in public parks and along roadways. Last week, (when I should have been packing….) I got up early, put a leash on the dog, grabbed a thermos of coffee, and walked over to a public area near our house that is always a sure winner for blackberry picking. I spent the rest of the morning stirring up delicious berry sauces and playing with sweetness ratios (again, I should have been packing to move to a different continent).
Compote is just a fancy word for sauce, but a little more specifically, fruit cooked down into a sauce (Actually I just made that definition up because I’m typing this on a plane and can’t actually look it up, but that’s what I think compotes are). It’s generally just fruit and sugar, with maybe a little lemon juice or a splash of water too. Having fresh compotes in the fridge open up many options to make any meal even more awesome. For breakfast, stir the compote into plain greek yogurt. For dessert, pour it over vanilla ice cream. For happy hour, stir it into a cocktail. They can be served warm or cold.
Blackberry-mint compote and plain Greek yogurt
Strawberry rhubarb compote, oats, chia seeds and plain Greek yogurt
The ultimate dessert: blackberry-mint compote with chocolate sauce on French vanilla ice cream
Quick note on sweetness: compotes generally have A LOT of sugar. But pouring that much sugar into a pot always kind of freaks me out, so these recipes do cut down on sugar and play a little with sweetening with honey in addition to sugar. This recipe actually has about one-third of the sugar that traditional compote recipes have. But the fresh blackberries are so sweet this time of year; they really do not need a lot of added sugar. In the other compote, the sweetness of the strawberries balances out the tartness of the rhubarb. And if you are watching your sugar intake, stirring in compotes to plain greek yogurt is a great substitute for fruit flavored yogurts (which have A LOT of added sugar). That being said, there’s definitely still sugar in these compotes.
I’m proud to let you know that I think I have not one, but two great recipes here. Well, actually three if you count the modifications to turn a blackberry compote into blackberry chia seed jam! Enjoy, and greetings from Zambia!
What’s your favorite way to enjoy a compote?
- 2 cups blackberries
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 6 large mint leaves (whole)
- Rinse the blackberries under cold water and transfer to a saucepan (don't worry about drying the berries after the rinse - a little water in the saucepan is good).
- Add sugar, lemon juice, and whole mint leaves to the saucepan.
- Cook over medium high heat for 12-15 minutes, stirring frequently. The berries will release moisture, break down into a sauce, and then start to thicken again somewhat. The sauce should be lightly bubbling the whole time.
- Once the compote reaches desired consistency, remove from heat.
- Serve hot or cold. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to one week.
- For blackberry chia seed jam: Follow steps above, but cook for 20-25 minutes total until the sauce thickens further (should be bubbling the whole time). Once the sauce thickens some, remove from heat and stir in chia seeds. Let sit for 10 minutes before enjoying. Store in a jar in the fridge up to one week.
- 3 cups strawberries, roughly chopped
- 3 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- Combine chopped strawberries, cut rhubarb, sugar, and honey in a medium sized pot.
- Cook over medium-high heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring frequently until rhubarb has broken down into soft pieces, a sauce has formed, and then begins to thicken again.
- Once desired consistency is achieved, remove from heat and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve hot or cold. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to one week.