This pretty compote is endlessly versatile. Serve warm or cold by itself, with fresh whipped cream, yogurt, or vanilla sauce, atop ice cream, in the middle of a fresh salad, spooned into pear halves, with white chocolate mousse in a parfait, atop a toasted muffin or bowl of oatmeal, over cheesecake or with a cheese plate. Use at room temperature to stuff a pork roast, or warm to accompany pork or poultry. The tangy-sweet flavor and beautiful colors will enliven any meal from casual breakfast to elegant feast.
I’ve even had this at an inn during a business retreat with a float of sparkling wine. For breakfast. It was spectacular, and put a smile on my face all day. I’m not saying a breakfast dish could make corporate life bearable, but I’m not not saying it, either.
Equipment and Supplies
- 2-quart saucepan
- beater
- spatula rubber or silicone spatula
Ingredients
- ½ cup sweet white wine, like Riesling or Moscato
- ½ cup sparkling white grape juice, or sparkling wine
- ½ cups turbinado, or granulated sugar if turbinado is unavailable
- 3 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 cup currants, red or black, fresh or frozen
- ⅓ cup arrowroot powder
Topping
- 8 ounces heavy cream
- ½ ounce Chambord liqueur, optional
Method
- Bring the grape juice to a boil. Add turbinado and stir until completely dissolved.½ cup sweet white wine, ½ cups turbinado, 3 cups raspberries, 1 cup blueberries, 1 cup currants
- Add berries, return to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Reserve a few berries for garnish if you’re into style points. I am definitely into style points.3 cups raspberries, 1 cup blueberries, 1 cup currants
- Mix the arrowroot with water until it’s a thick slurry. While stirring the fruit mixture, pour in paste a little at a time. When half of it is incorporated, reduce the heat to a simmer for 2-3 minutes to see how thick it gets. If too thin, add half the remainder, bring to a boil, reduce heat for 2-3 minutes and reassess. If it’s still too thin, you know what to do. If it’s too thick, deal with it or add more grape juice (alcohol-free or no, your call).⅓ cup arrowroot powder
- Stir in the sparkling grape juice.½ cup sparkling white grape juice
Topping
- Whip the cream into stiff peaks, then fold in the Chambord. I just listed the liqueur as optional in the ingredients to seem less dogmatic. Every recipe on this site is me telling you what to do, so break out the Chambord or I’ll throw a rubber spatula at you.8 ounces heavy cream, ½ ounce Chambord liqueur
Notes
Private Notes
