My younger brother, Zach, isn’t much of a sweets guy. I’m sure you have met these type of people in your life. The ones who pick potato chips over a cookie or take an extra helping of dinner instead of saving room for dessert. I have never really understood this logic (I would rather skip dinner and go straight to dessert), but I have come to learn that there are people like that out there.
I have also come to learn that just because you are not a “sweets person” does not mean you don’t like sweets at all. These self-proclaimed savory food lovers have a secret. They usually have one of two sweets items that they really really love. That thing that makes them skip the extra helping of dinner so they can save room for the good stuff – the dessert.
For my brother, that is cheesecake. Since he was little, he has always preferred cheesecake to any other type of cake. He was that weird little kid who was ordering New York Cheesecake at restaurants while all the other kids were ordering ice cream and brownie sundaes. At this point, he likes to think of himself as a bit of a cheesecake snob – and he will tell you that the BEST part of a cheesecake is always the BERRY COMPOTE.
I know…it’s shocking. But he swears that a good berry compote can turn the most average cheesecake into something divine. Crazy, I know. But I’m not one to argue with someone who feels SO passionately about cheesecake. Enter…my recipe for Berry Compote.
Which, in case you were wondering, WAS approved by my brother.
It turns out berry compote is very easy to make and can be used for a lot more than just cheesecake.
For example…
Pancakes
French Toast
Waffles
Ice Cream
Oatmeal
Angel Food Cake
The list goes on and on. In this recipe, I used a mix of different berries – but you can use any combination you want. Make it an all strawberry compote or all blueberry compote. The choice is up to you. You can also use frozen fruit here instead of fresh fruit. No need to defrost either! The mixture will take a little bit longer to come to a boil, but your final product will be just as delicious!
BERRY COMPOTE
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 cups of strawberries, quartered
- 1 cup blackberries
- 1/2 cup raspberries
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice (orange juice is also delicious here)
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of corn starch
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
Instructions
- Put sugar and water in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture comes to a boil.
- Let the mixture boil for 2-3 minutes and then add berries lemon juice, cornstarch and salt.
- Let mixture come to a boil and starts to thicken.
- Take pan off of heat and add butter. Lightly stir in butter until it melts.
- You can use mixture immediately or let it come to room temperature and store it for later use.
