If summer has a flavor it’s cherry. I spend my fair share of time pitting cherries in the summer – an invitation to slow down. Spiced Cherry Compote may be one of my favorite experiments of the summer. A dollop of this compote on a generous serving of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream gives new meaning to happiness with a cherry on top.
Simple Cherry Compote
1 lbs cherries, pitted
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup red wine
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
Spice Bouquet:
3 whole cloves
2 whole cardamon pods, cracked open
2 whole black peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick
In a large bowl, add sugar to cherries and mash until fruit is broken down and juice releases. Allow to sit for 30 minutes or so for juices to continue to release. Add 1/4 cup wine and set aside until the cherries absorb the wine.
To make the spice bouquet, cut a piece of cheesecloth sized to fit the spices. Place the cloves, cardamon, peppercorns and cinnamon stick on the cheesecloth and tie up the edges to form a bundle.
Cook the cherries and spice bouquet over medium-high heat until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 1/2 tsps balsamic vinegar.
Cool and store in glass container in the fridge.
Serve over vanilla ice cream. Spread on toast or pair with your favorite cheese on a toasted baguette.
Love,
This would be a nice way to keep the last of the cherries around for just a bit longer. And aside from pitting the cherries, pretty easy. I see you have a cherry pitter at least. I bought a cherry pitter that has a separate plunger shaft that actually pits the cherries– when I went to get it out this year, the shaft was gone! So back to pitting the cherries by hand. Discovered this after my husband came home with a big box of Rainiers from the farmer’s market, of course.
Do you think the compote would freeze well? I’m thinking of making a bigger batch and freeze it in so I can enjoy it later in the fall as well.
Please advise – thanks!