In some countries, compote is a fruit dessert, the syrup in such a delicacy is dense. In Russian cuisine, compote is boiled from a large amount of water with the addition of dried fruits, berries, fruits, sugar - the result is a drink that relieves thirst and replenishes nutrients. To make the compote as tasty as possible, you need to know some of the rules for its preparation.
Water for compote must be of high quality - spring or filtered. If dried fruits and frozen mixtures are used, they can be immersed in cold water, fresh berries and fruits must be boiled in boiling water so that they quickly give off juice, while retaining the maximum useful properties.
Any type of sugar can be used to prepare compote, including cane sugar. If you add honey, you get a drink called uzvar. Honey should be used only of good quality, adding it to the cooling drink to taste.
The base of the compote can be fruits and berries, they can be fresh, frozen or dried. In some recipes, you can find vegetables - rhubarb, zucchini, carrots, pumpkin.
To add flavor and aroma, spices (cloves, mint, lemon balm, vanilla, nutmeg), wine or fruit juices are added to the drink. Spices, as a rule, are added literally a minute before the compote is ready.
How to cook compote
Compote can be cooked with or without boiling. First you need to prepare berries and fruits. It is advisable to cut hard fruits into small pieces, and soft ones to a larger size. Berries are usually placed whole.
First you need to dissolve the sugar in boiling water, then pour the base of the compote with the prepared syrup, and after boiling, cook for several minutes. The finished compote must be removed from the heat and cooled.
In order for the compote to have the maximum amount of vitamins, the fruits can not be boiled, but simply pour over them with syrup and leave to infuse overnight.
Homemade compote: some tricks
1) To prepare compote, frozen berries do not need to be thawed, just throw them into hot syrup.
2) To preserve vitamins, a little citric acid is often added to compotes.
3) If the fruit or berries are very acidic, you can add a pinch of salt to the compote to remove the excess acid.
4) Cinnamon is traditionally added to apple compote to make it richer in taste and aromatic.
5) Compote can be stored at room temperature for several days, and to extend the shelf life, the drink can be frozen and stored in the freezer for up to 1 month.
