Compote

B"H

Over the course of my life, I've been put on diets for my blood sugar and other health issues. Because I'm a vegan I tend to eat high on the carbohydrate side and low on the protein side (and, if you're thinking "Goldilocks and the Three Bears", with fats usually "just right"). So a few times in my life I was put on diets where fruit was a no-no. Beside fruit being very healthy, I also happen to love fruit. So whenever I went from not being able to eat fruit to being able to eat fruit, I jumped in with both feet, so to speak.

Lately, I don't like to pick and choose which fruits I'm going to eat, so I make compote. The compote I make is based on what my Mom used to make when we had a plethora of fruit that was "going" (as in, raw fruit that is not quite spoiled yet, but not quite edible).

I can make a better compote in the summer because there are more fruits available -- plums, peaches, nectarines. But in the winter (like now????) I use a lot of frozen fruits -- I can get berries (mixed, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries), peaches, mangoes, pomegranate seeds, and cherries (among other things) frozen. I also like to add goji berries (which I found help with the normalization of my blood sugar). Apples and pears (I prefer both red) I can usually get all year round. I cut up what need to be cut up, add the frozens and the dried fruit (goji berries, sometimes dried blueberries or cranberries) and put it in with some stevia (I use as a sweetener) and pumpkin pie spices (1 teaspoon), turmeric (1/4 teaspoon) and some coriander (1/4 teaspoon), and sometimes a bit of cardamon (just a pinch).

In any case, I put the fruit (and spices, etc.) into a nice size pot with a good cover and put it on a low flame. Don't add water!!! The fruit makes enough liquid -- just make sure the pot is well covered and the flame is as low as you can put it without the flame blowing out (since you are going to leave it for a while). I check the fruit every 15 minutes or so, mixing it up when necessary (it has a tendency to cook from the bottom up).

When it's all cooked, turn the flame off and let it sit until it cools a bit, then put into containers of your choosing and keep in the refrigerator. I don't know how long it will stay -- I generally eat it within a week. (You'll figure out after some trial and error what works best for you and your family.)

By the way, I make my own pumpkin pie spice -- I use it in my breakfast cereal, so I make a lot -- I just made some this morning with 8 tablespoons cinnamon, 4 tablespoons powdered ginger, 2 tablespoons each nutmeg and allspice, 1 tablespoon cloves, and, since I like curries, I added 1 teaspoon coriander and 1/4 teaspoon cardamon.

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