Spiced Fruit Compote For 2 Recipes

SPICED FRUIT COMPOTE

Steps:

• Place cinnamon sticks and cloves on a double thickness of cheesecloth; bring up corners of cloth and tie with kitchen string to form a bag., In a large saucepan, combine the orange juice, raisins, brown sugar, salt and ginger. Add spice bag; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes. Add fruit; simmer for 3 minutes. Discard spice bag. Serve fruit warm or cold with a slotted spoon.

SERIOUSLY GOOD SPICED FRUIT COMPOTE

Steps:

• Put all the ingredients, except the fruits, into a large saucepan and slowly bring to the boil, uncovered. Boil the syrup for 5 minutes then remove the pan from the heat.
• Top and tail the oranges, then slice off the skin and every scrap of pith, using a small, sharp kitchen knife. Cradle each orange in the palm of your hand, hold it over the saucepan and cut out the segments, letting them drop into the syrup. Squeeze any juice from the debris into the syrup, too, then discard.
• Add the apricots and plums to the syrup and return the saucepan to a medium heat. Bring to the boil, then simmer the fruits for 10 minutes. Leave to cool, then chill for at least 2 hours.
• Serve the poached fruits just as they are or as a brûlée: whisk the milk into the fromage frais to loosen it a little, then divide the fruits and enough juice to cover them, among six ovenproof ramekins and spoon on the fromage frais, thickly. Dust with caster sugar and then 'burn' the sugar with a blow-torch. (Or put the ramekins on a heavy baking sheet, place it under a very hot grill and leave for 1-2 minutes until the sugar has caramelised.)

SPICED DRIED FRUIT COMPOTE

Steps:

• In a deep nonreactive pot, combine apples, pears, prunes and raisins. Carefully peel lemon, adding yellow peel to pot and leaving white pith behind. Squeeze juice from lemon into pot.
• Stir in remaining ingredients. Liquid should cover fruit by at least one inch; add water if necessary. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer until fruit is very tender but not mushy, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove and discard lemon peel, cinnamon and cloves. Taste and adjust seasonings with more honey and lemon juice; compote should not be overly sweet. Serve warm.

SPICED FRUIT COMPOTE WITH RICOTTA CREAM

Steps:

• Combine muscat, juices and sugar in a large pan, stir over heat without boiling until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil, simmer, uncovered without stirring for about 15 minutes or until mixture is thickened slightly.
• Add carambola, dates, dried fruits, cinnamon, split vanilla bean, cardamom and rind to syrup, Simmer uncovered without stirring 10 minutes or until fruit is tender. Cool syrup, cover, refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. DIscard cinnamon sticks, cardamom and vanilla bean, Serve with ricotta cream and crushed pistachios.
• Ricotta cream-.Beat cheese, icing sugar and cinnamon in small bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Stir in milk.

HOT SPICE FRUIT COMPOTE

Steps:

• In a 2-1/2-qt. baking dish, combine the pineapple, peaches, apricots, pears and cherries; set aside. In a small saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat; pour over fruit. Bake uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly. Discard cloves. Serve warm.

SPICED FRUIT COMPOTE

Steps:

• Stir first 5 ingredients in large saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add remaining ingredients; simmer until fruit is tender, about 15 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer fruit to bowl. Boil syrup in pan until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 7 minutes. Pour over fruit. Cool. Cover; chill until cold, about 3 hours. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.)