Mixed Berry Compote is made with summer ripe berries like strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries with lemon zest. Perfect for pancakes, waffles, ice cream and much more!
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My husband and I like to go on hikes and explore a lot. Well one time, when we were dating (a long time ago) we went hiking about an hour away from the city to a natural bridge. At this natural bridge, there is a huge pool of water that a small stream feeds into. And what feeds this little stream are little waterfalls, by which happens to grow a ton of blackberry bushes.
We may or may not have hoped over a roped off area and gathered some super ripe and delicious blackberries that were growing (they would go to waste otherwise, so why not???) Y’all, these berries were the peak of what blackberries ought to taste like! They were incredible.
Summer is in full swing here and do you know what that means??? Berries galore! Man, oh man do I love when berries are in season; they are the sweetest and juiciest this time of year. I try to not buy them at any other time just because they are truly magnificent during summer.
With summer now here, I have to share with you my knowledge on how to make this amazing berry compote recipe!
Compote Meaning
Compote is a French name for a chilled fruit dish that has been cooked over a period of time in sugar syrup.
The beauty of making a compote is that you can make it from fresh, frozen, or even dried fruit. Though, with dried fruit, I would add water or some kind of complimentary juice to the cooking so that the fruit reconstitutes.
What is the Difference Between Compote, Chutney, and Coulis
As I discussed just above, compote is a chilled fruit dish made with sugar syrup. While chutneys and coulis are also made from fruit, they are very different.
Coulis is a fruit sauce that has been blended and strained so it’s a silky smooth sauce.
Chutney is a fruit or vegetable sauce that originates from India and involves vinegar and spices. Very different from a compote.
How to Make Berry Compote
Now berries are quite sweet between May through August, however, by adding sugar to these berries you are encouraging a bit more of the sugars and juices to leach out of these beauties a bit more.
The addition of lemon juice (just a small squeeze) and lemon zest add enough brightness to the berries to give the sauce a light taste and feel. You can probably literally hear the song of summer singing once you eat this sauce.
Making this mixed berry compote is so super simple! Place the washed berries in a sauce pot with the sugar, lemon juice, and zest, and boil until the berries become soft. You’ll be left with a sauce with a gorgeous magenta color!
How to Cook Berry Compote with Frozen Berries
If you are in the middle of winter and are dead set on using frozen berries to make a berry compote, you can still use this same method but add either just a bit of water or even apple juice to help get the sauce going. I would strongly recommend using a more neutral flavor juice so that the taste of the berries shine.
How Do You Thicken A Berry Compote
Truthfully, summer berry compote runs a bit on the thin side when it’s warm. If you want a sauce with a bit more body to it, allow the sauce to reduce until the juices are quite thick.
If, however, you want much more sauce with just a bit of body, I love using a slurry to thicken it.
A slurry is equal parts of water to cornstarch. Mix it into the sauce while stirring to avoid clumps.
How Long Does Berry Compote Last
If you even have any after leftover from breakfast or dessert, store the berry compote in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for no longer than seven days. But you’ll be pouring this sauce all over everything that you won’t need to throw any out!
What is Compote Used For
You can enjoy this on just about anything you can imagine: pancakes, waffles, crepes, angel food cake, pound cake, cheesecake, ice cream French toast… the list goes on and on. The key, in my humble opinion, is striking the perfect balance of sweetness and zing.
Consider enjoying this mixed berry compote recipe on
- Cottage Cheese Pancakes
- Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
- Angel Food Cake (I know, I need to put one on the blog)
- Lemon Genoise Cake with Fresh Berries
- Cinnamon Roll French Toast
I hope that you enjoy this berry compote, let me know what you do with it! If you really enjoyed this recipe, feel free to leave a 5-star rating down below.
Happy eating!
If summer is your favorite season, you’ll love these Summer Recipes
- Moroccan BBQ Sauce
- Mediterranean Orzo Pasta
- Baked Pineapple Sorbet
- Shrimp and Asparagus Pizza with Romesco Sauce
- Asian Ramen Noodle Cabbage Salad
- Pork Chops with Apple and Blackberry Sauce
Be sure to check out more fun Sauces and Condiments recipes!
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Mixed Berry Compote Recipe
Mixed Berry Compote is made with summer ripe berries and lemon zest. Perfect for pancakes, waffles, ice cream and much more!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces strawberries, cleaned and hulled
- 1 dry pint blueberries
- 1 dry pint blackberries
- 4 ounces Sugar
- 1 squeeze lemon juice
- 1 each lemon, zested
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pot, mix together cleaned berries; add sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest
- Stir together to evenly coat the berries in sugar
- Bring berries up to a medium heat and cook until juices leech out of berries.
- Cook berries until the juices has fully leeched out and the berries are super soft.
Notes
*The sugar will have to be adjusted depending on the sweetness of the berries.
**For a coulis, take the finished sauce, puree in a blender, and then strain through a fine-mesh strainer. This is usually ideal for applications with cheesecakes or other instances where a smooth sauce is needed.
*** If fresh berries are not available to make this sauce, feel free to use frozen berries in their stead. You'll have to increase the cooking time by about 10 minutes to allow for the berries to thaw and then cook.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 24 Serving Size cupAmount Per ServingCalories 34Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 0mgCarbohydrates 8gFiber 1gSugar 7gProtein 0g
This nutrition information is just an estimate.
This sounds awesome Marlee! I love having fruit for dessert, and I bet this is awesome with ice cream!
It is so fantastic on ice cream! And everything else!
Beautiful! I want to drizzle this all over a giant stack of pancakes! I can’t wait until berries are at their best here, they’re just starting to appear now!
Oh, there is nothing more delicious than fresh, ripe berries! I know where I live, they’re going to start making their appearance soon! My husband looooooves eating this compote on everything!
Will frozen berries work too going to try this recipe tonight for Neapolitans but only have frozen berries?
Absolutely! Frozen berries are excellent in this recipe. I’ll be sure to update the recipe card with this in the notes. Thanks!