Anise Fritters With Four Fruit Compote Recipes

WINTER FRUIT COMPOTE WITH SELECTION OF CHEESE

Steps:

• In a 4-quart saucepan or pot bring the first 6 ingredients to a simmer. Stir slowly to dissolve the sugar in the liquid. Add the remaining ingredients except the lemon juice and the cheese. When the liquid comes to a boil, adjust the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes to marry the flavors and soften the fruit. Turn off the heat then stir in the lemon juice. With a slotted spoon remove the fruit to a bowl. Bring the remaining syrup to a simmer and reduce until lightly thickened or when the bubbles formed on the top become small. Remove the syrup for the heat and when it is cool pour it over the fruit. The compote can be held in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Serve the compote at room temperature with the cheese.

ANISE FRITTERS WITH FOUR-FRUIT COMPOTE

Steps:

• To make the fritters:
• Whisk together first 5 ingredients in small bowl; let stand 10 minutes. Combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Using fingers or pastry blender, add chilled margarine to flour mixture and cut in until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir egg mixture thoroughly into dry ingredients.
• Heat 2 inches vegetable oil in heavy medium saucepan to 350°F. Working in batches, drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls into hot oil. Cook until brown, turning occasionally, about 3 minutes. Transfer fritters to paper towel-lined cookie sheet and cool.
• Combine powdered sugar and 1/4 cup liqueur in small deep bowl. Add enough water to make medium-thick glaze. Dip fritters halfway into glaze. Arrange fritters glaze side up on plate. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)
• Arrange 3 fritters on each of 8 plates. Spoon compote alongside. Garnish with fresh mint and serve.
• To make the compote:
• Bring water, sugar and aniseed to boil in heavy medium saucepan over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil until reduced to 1 cup, about 20 minutes. Place apricots in medium bowl. Strain boiling syrup over apricots. Discard aniseed. Add liqueur to apricots and stir. Cover and let stand at room temperature until apricots are tender, about 8 hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)
• Add pineapple, strawberries and kiwi fruit to apricots. Toss well. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

ANGEL FOOD CAKE WITH TROPICAL FRUIT COMPOTE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Sift the flour together with 1/2 cup of the sugar and set aside.
• Put the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer. Be SURE that the bowl is clean and dry, any fat in the bowl can prevent the egg whites from whipping up fluffy fluffy fluffy! Add the salt and the cream of tartar to the egg whites. Beat the egg whites on a medium-high speed until they reach soft peaks, about 5 minutes.
• While the mixer is running, gradually add the remaining sugar. DO NOT plop the sugar in all at once or it will push the air out of the whites that we are trying to beat in. Add in the vanilla and zests and then stop the mixer. Add 1/3 of the flour/sugar mixture and fold gently fold, do this quickly but gently. Repeat the process 2 more times until all of the flour/sugar mixture is incorporated.
• Transfer the cake batter into an ungreased tube pan. Bang the cake pan on the counter a couple of times to release any air bubbles trapped in the cake batter.
• Bake the cake on a sheet tray in the preheated oven until it is light and springy, about 1 1/4 hours. Cool the cake for at least 1 hour before unmolding. Serve with the tropical fruit compote.
• For the compote: In a food processor or blender, puree the coarsely chopped mango and 1/2 cup orange juice. If this mixture needs a little more sweetness, add in the 2 teaspoons of sugar and puree for another 10 seconds or until the sugar has dissolved.
• Combine all of the fruit and remaining orange juice and let the mixture sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Serve slices of the cake drizzled with the mango puree and sprinkled generously with the fruit compote. Garnish with mint and serve.
• Wow! How tropical-fruity and the cake is light as air!

WINTER FRUIT COMPOTE

Steps:

• In 4-cup glass measuring cup, stir ruby port, orange juice and brown sugar until sugar is dissolved.
• In ungreased 11x7-inch pan, mix remaining ingredients. Pour port mixture over dried fruit mixture; toss gently to combine. Cover with foil; refrigerate 12 to 24 hours.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Bake compote covered 45 to 50 minutes or until thoroughly heated and fruit is soft. Let stand 15 minutes. Remove and discard star anise. Serve with slotted spoon.

FOUR FRUIT COMPOTE SIDE DISH

Steps:

• Drain pineapple, reserving 3/4 cup juice.
• In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Add pineapple juice, orange juice (from Mandarin oranges) and lemon juice.
• Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly; cook and stir 1 minute longer.
• Remove from the heat, set aside.
• In a bowl, combine pineapple chunks, oranges, apples and bananas.
• Pour warm sauce over the fruit; stir gently to coat.
• Cover and refrigerate.

FOUR-FRUIT COMPOTE

Steps:

• Drain pineapple, reserving 3/4 cup juice. In a large saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in the orange, lemon and pineapple juices until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly; cook and stir 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat; set aside. , In a large bowl, combine the fruits. Pour warm sauce over the fruit; stir gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate.

ROASTED FRUIT COMPOTE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter 13x9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter. Place fruit in single layer, cut sides of fruit facing up, in dish. In small bowl, mix Sugar In The Raw, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg and lemon peel. Sprinkle sugar mixture generously over fruit. Drizzle lemon juice over fruit. Bake 20 minutes or until fruit is tender and juices are bubbly. Spoon fruit into 8 dessert dishes and drizzle with some of the roasting juices. Top with spoonfuls of mascarpone.

GRAPEFRUIT, GINGER, AND STAR ANISE COMPOTE

Steps:

• Bring 1 cup water, sugar, ginger, and star anise to boil in medium saucepan over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until mixture begins to thicken, about 10 minutes. Stir in grapefruit peel. Reduce heat to low and simmer syrup 30 minutes.
• Place all grapefruit sections in large bowl. Using slotted spoon, remove ginger from syrup and discard. Pour hot syrup with star anise over grapefruit; let stand at room temperature 1 hour, stirring occasionally. (Can be made 4 hours ahead; cover and chill.) Divide fruit and syrup among 6 small bowls; discard star anise. Serve compote chilled or at room temperature.
• *Brown star-shaped seedpods, sold at Asian markets, specialty foods stores, and in the spice section of some supermarkets.

12-FRUIT COMPOTE

Steps:

• Bring the six kinds of dried fruit and the water to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan. Simmer gently about 20 minutes, until the fruit is plump and tender.
• Add the cherries, apples, cranberries, lemon, cloves, cinnamon sticks and sugar to taste. Cover and simmer 5 minutes.
• Grate the orange, reserving the grated peel. Peel off the rest of the skin and divide the orange into segments. Add them along with the grapes and brandy. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.
• Add reserved grated orange peel and let the mixture stand for 15 minutes. Serve warm or chilled.

QUICK FRUIT COMPOTE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring 3/4 cup apricot nectar, cloves and cinnamon to a boil. Combine cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup apricot nectar until smooth; gradually whisk into nectar mixture. Return to a boil; cook and stir until thickened and bubbly, 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in lemon juice. Cool., Stir in banana, strawberries and kiwi. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

FRUIT COMPOTE

Steps:

• Stir together pears, peaches, plums, sugar, orange juice, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla bean in a 2 1/2-quart souffle dish or casserole with tight-fitting lid. Cook, covered, at 100 percent power in a 650- to 700-watt oven for 9 minutes, stirring once.
• Remove from oven and uncover. Add cherries, raspberries and strawberries; re-cover and cook at 100 percent power for 2 minutes longer.
• Remove from oven and uncover. Stir gently and allow to stand, covered, for 5 minutes.

WINTER FRUIT COMPOTE

Steps:

• In large saucepan, combine sugar, water and ginger; bring to a boil over high heat.
• Add dried fruit and bring back to a boil; immediately reduce heat to low simmer.
• Cook, uncovered, until fruit is not quite tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add cranberries and simmer, stirring occasionally, until cranberries pop.
• Stir in orange and apple.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool down.
• For dessert, serve warm over ice cream, or at room temperature over a plain cake, such as angel food cake or pound cake.
• Can also be served with yogurt; makes a particularly nice breakfast.