Hey, all. Thanks for reading and responding last week.
As I wrote before, I am a slow writer. I’ve got a few ideas spinning for the next topic to tackle, so while that’s twisting around in my head I’m going to share just a recipe this week. Consider it a preview of what’s to come.
Working up from last week’s drink recipe, this is a drink ~and~ a snack. Like any good recipe, it’s hardly a recipe and is supremely adaptable. Do you have excess fruit that you perhaps got from a farmers market, CSA, or by delivery? Make компот! Kompot (the beverage), not to be confused with compote (the preserve), is a Russian + Eastern European drink made from fruit, water, and sugar. One of the first times I had it was in Moscow, where I lived and studied for a year during college, at my host mom’s apartment. I remember being slightly confused by what was in front of me — a glass of cold, sweet, reddish liquid in which, at the bottom, a mound of softened fruit awaited. But that’s the beauty of kompot: you have something refreshing to sip, then at the end, you get to eat.
It can be made with literally any fruit; in the summer, it’s made with the freshest and best. (In the winter, it’s got dried fruit and stuff that stores well, like apples.) Cooking methods vary widely, but my favorite is from the Kachka cookbook, in which your selected assortment of fruit is cooked for a mere five minutes. (Speaking of Portland.) The batch pictured above includes raspberries, red + green gooseberries, black currants, and a few peaches from the Reids. Use what you have. Mix fresh with dried. There are no rules.
Summer kompot
(adapted from the Kachka cookbook)
2 peaches (plums work too)
2 cups mixed fruit, such as raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, currants, gooseberries, or whatever you have
4 cups water
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar or other sweetener
Cut the stone fruit into large chunks (keep the pits in a small container and put them in your freezer; I’ll return to that next week) and put them in a medium pot. If your fruit/berries have any aggressive stems, take them off, but otherwise just plop them into the pot too. Pour the water on top and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce and cook (uncovered) for five minutes. Remove from heat, then stir in 1/4 cup of sugar. Taste and decide if you’d like it sweeter or if you like how tart it is. Let cool, then transfer to a big jar or other container and chill completely (at least 4 hours) in the refrigerator. When it’s time to serve, pour some liquid into your glass and spoon as much fruit as you want to eat in, too. (The original recipe suggests turning this into an ice cream float situation, which is obviously a great idea.)
Keep it for about a week. If you see mold — on this or anything resembling the other compote — discard immediately, then promise to consume it more quickly and not uphold toxic environments, microbial or otherwise, next time. :)
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
In other news: curious about making your own salt-brined pickles? I wrote a pickle how-to blog post for Number 1 Sons, which includes a how-to video made with my phone and edited on iMovie, bringing serious flashbacks to high school video class (but with more self-esteem this time around).
Catch you next time,
Kara