This is one of my special Thanksgiving or Christmas dishes, this Compote Winter Fruits In Spiced Wine. It’s an assortment of your favorite dried fruits, gently macerated overnight in a spiced wine mixture, baked until plump and flavorful, the wine reduced to a ruby syrup.

Compote Winter Fruits in Spiced Wine

When I brought this compote to Thanksgiving one year, my baby Sis gleefully dubbed this “Compost!” Our family has called it so ever since.

About Compote Winter Fruits in Spiced Wine:

I admit to being a little worried about bringing this to Thanksgiving, because it was a little unexpected. I gotta say it went over well. Even my “Da” relished it and had seconds!

It was a harmless addition, primarily because it follows the unwritten Thanksgiving guidelines: It won’t eclipse anybody else’s dish. It doesn’t require last-minute touches, take up much room in the fridge, or require oven time…

While this is fabulous on a celebration table (and a great alternative to cranberry sauce), it goes well with not only turkey but also a deeply flavored ham, roast chicken, or pork roast.

The plump fruit and syrup are a little magical, almost indescribable. There’s a spice about it, though there’s just a touch in the recipe. The wine melds into and enhances everything; it seems to extract all the flavors and cut the sweetness. The sweetness there is complex; it’s and draws from the slowly braised fruit in the best way.

Ingredients for Compote Winter Fruits in Spiced Wine:

This is a great little sumpin sumpin to have at just about any special winter dinner or holiday. It’s best made ahead (start the evening before it’s cooked), so it is easy to knock off your list of sides.

Make this with a variety of dried fruit; use your favorites; mine are dates, figs, a few prunes (really!), dried apples, apricots, and a small handful of golden raisins. I specifically don’t like all dark fruits, but some, like prunes and raisins, add a deep, rich color. Avoid using too many small fruits. See more guidelines in the recipe.

For the most part, I make this with white wine, which has a delicate flavor and makes the compote much lighter in color. Made with red wine, it’s a deep ruby, with a bolder flavor. Avoid reds with heavy tannins. I have been meaning to experiment with Marsala and other fortified wines, but that’s another story for another day.

Bonus: Leftover wine is perfect here. If you wish to make this with no alcohol, try a good, tart apple cider and add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar.

Make Ahead:

• The fruit soaks overnight, and the next day it braises for about an hour in the oven. Served warm (not hot), it’s delish, but it’s even more fabulous chilled.
• If serving chilled, knock it a day or two before the occasion and cross it off your list. Day of, toss it in a fancy bowl and you’re set.

Helpful Hints:

• Depending on tools used, the peel is easy to remove from the citrus in tiny strips. Gadget shown. If necessary, remove larger pieces of peel and use a paring knife to slice/scrape away the pith. Either very finely slice and leave in, or place chunks of peel in the wine and remove before cooking.
• Macerate (soak) overnight in the refrigerator
• When cooking, watch very closely and baste often, especially towards the end. If necessary, lightly place foil over the top between basting. If any fruit has charred on top before it’s caught, discard it. It will spoil the flavor of the compote.
• Ovens vary; it may be done before expected or take a little longer. When done, very small bubbles should be merrily breaking through the surface of the fruit, and the fruit should be soft but not mushy; it should still have some texture.
• Once chilled, the syrup thickens; allow for this when determining when it’s finished cooking. If, once chilled, it’s too stiff, add warm water by the teaspoonful.

Leftovers:

Compote Winter Fruits in Spiced Wine keeps, tightly covered, in the fridge for at least a week or two; the syrup may thin with longer storage.

Try chopping some leftover fruit to make classic Thumbprint Cookies. (Cranberry sauce works well in those, too.) Leftovers are also good over ice cream.

Other Compotes You Might Like:

Our Favorite Cranberry Sauce

Spicy Jalapeno Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry Sauce with Apple & Port

Sour Cherry Compote

Favorite Cranberry Sauce with Citrus & Grand Marnier

Saving Money on Groceries:

What you pay for groceries depends on not just WHERE you shop, but WHEN. Be strategic and stock up at rock-bottom prices.

• The best sales are before holidays; check out Win at the Grocers. Think beyond the occasion & use the opportunity to stock up at a low price for the coming weeks to months.
• If available, take advantage of discount stores like Aldi or Lidl. The pricing at Buyer’s clubs is not always the lowest, but can trump in quality. Be selective when shopping there.

The cost to make Compote Winter Fruits in Spiced Wine depends on what type of fruit is used and how pricey the wine is, so shop well. This recipe is how I use any dried fruit from the previous year before replenishing during the Winter Holiday sales for the coming year.

Dried Fruit (and Nuts):

Stock up on dried fruit (nuts, too) for the year from fall through the Winter Holiday sales.

• At the grocery store, check the snack, baking, bulk aisles, and discount aisles.
• Discount groceries and buyers’ clubs have good pricing but limited choices.
• Farm & Tractor Supply Stores are some of the best places to shop for both dried fruits and nuts. Repackage any in flimsy wrappings and keep nuts in the freezer.
• You might be surprised at the low prices and the quality in markets. European for dates, figs, raisins, apricots, and prunes. Asian markets will carry those and have some of the best prices for dates I’ve seen, as well as more exotic offerings. Middle Eastern markets offer the same, but watch especially for the fabulous pricing on figs.

Wine:

• Sign up for emails, watch flyers, and shop the sales, including the bargain bins. There are two major sales in the industry, fall and spring. Stock up. Additional discounts usually apply when buying in bulk; if not offered, ask.
• Talk to the wine person, consultant, guide or sommelier. A good one will ask your price range, what you’re making, and direct you to options you may not have thought of or known about.
• Cooking is an ideal way to use a partial bottle; store in a small, airtight jar until needed.

This Compote Winter Fruits in Spiced Wine is a favorite, near and dear to my heart. If you make it, comment below; I’d love to hear what you think. 

Mollie

Compote Winter Fruits in Spiced Wine

Compote Winter Fruits in Spiced Wine

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• Author: mollie kirby
• Prep Time: 10 minutes + overnight soak
• Cook Time: 1 hour + time to chill
• Total Time: 0 hours
• Yield: about 3 cups 1x
• Category: Condiment
• Cuisine: British

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 5 cups mixed dried fruits (see below)
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 lemon, peeled, pith removed, and very thinly sliced into strips
• 1 orange, peeled, pith remove,d and very thinly sliced into strips

Good fruit choices are:

• Dried apples or pears, if apples are in rings, slice in half. If pears are large, slice in half.
• Figs: remove any hard stems. Generally, they are small enough to go in whole; if they’re larger, slice in half.
• Apricots: Generally, they are fine whole; again, if any seem larger, slice in half.
• Dates: These are marvelous. Make sure they’re pitted. They can go in whole.
• Prunes: Will probably need to be sliced.
• Raisins, golden raisins, dried cranberries, and dried cherries. While all of the above are fine, be wary of adding too many of these small fruits. A small handful is fine.
• I avoid any berries; I feel they are not fitting, being spring/early summer fruits, and don’t add to the flavor profile. Sane for mangoes, and papaya, although a little dried pineapple is nice.

All fruits should be sliced or cut into bite-sized pieces; the above is just a guideline. Use your judgment.

Too many dark fruits are not as attractive as a mix of dark and light.

 

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Instructions

Mix wine and sugar in a bowl until sugar is dissolved.

Add the remaining ingredients and chill overnight.

Add to a small, preferably round casserole with plenty of room above the level of fruit.

Bake at 375 degrees for about an hour, uncovered, basting every 10 minutes or so until fruit is plumped and softened and wine is reduced to a syrup. There should be tiny bubbles bursting through the fruit throughout the dish. The fruit should be soft but have some texture and hold its shape.  (Keep in mind the syrup will thicken more if it’s chilled.) Watch carefully in the last 20 minutes.

If at any point the fruit looks in danger of burning, lightly place a piece of foil over the top. Don’t crimp it down.

Serve warm or chilled on a Holiday table or buffet.

Note: If any fruit on top has charred or burnt before it’s caught, remove and discard; if stirred in it will ruin the flavor.

xx