Apricot Compote
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 30 min. plus 2 - 3 hours for chilling
One of the many fruits which have lost favor with consumers due to the sorry state most supermarkets offer them. Commercial growers harvest apricots too early, they never get a chance to ripen properly.
Compote d'Abricots is a favorite Provence dessert. No wonder, apricots are a major crop here. Once harvest time comes the Drôme Provencale is flooded with apricots. You can buy 2 kg (4 lbs) for €1.
Ingredients:
- 500 gr (1 lbs) ripe but firm apricots
- 500 ml (2 cups) water
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 125 - 250 gr (1/2 - 1 cup) sugar, depending how ripe and sweet the apricots are
- 2 tbsp Muscat de Beaumes de Venise or Rasteau Rancio or any natural sweet wine
Preparation:
Half the apricots. Crack the pits with a hammer or a nutcracker and tie them up in cheesecloth bag. Combine the water and the lemon juice in a sauce pan. Stir in the sugar continuously until it melts. Bring to a quick boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid appears clear (about 3 minutes). Add the apricot halves and the cheesecloth bag of broken pits. Return it to a boil and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Test the apricots for doneness with a small knife. If they offer no resistance they are done. Make sure they do not fall apart. Remove apricots from the heat, put them on a plate and let them cool down. Remove the pit bag from the liquid. Stir 2 tbsp. Muscat de Beaumes de Venise into the syrup and pour it over the apricots. Cover them with a plastic wrap and chill before serving.
Vanilla ice cream, a creamy custard or a Faisselle will turn it into a sumptuous dessert.