Apple and Pear Compote

Compote is pieces of fruit cooked in a syrup with a few spices or flavorings like cinnamon, cloves, orange zest and sometimes even bits of nuts. Compote was a French dish originally and was served as a dessert along with cream. It is different from fruit preserves - 1. compote has whole pieces of fruit and 2. compote does not contain pectin which gives jams and marmalades its jelly like texture.

For me, I have always had a fancy for preserves. I have often bought preserves from stores and have stuffed myself with bread just so I could eat some of the preserves :) Another thing that fascinated me is the use of fruit sauces on puddings, ice creams and desserts in general. So, I checked for recipes and liked the idea of making compotes since it does not use preservatives and can be easily made at home with available ingredients.

 

During my last two trips to the weekly market, I saw these green apples that were going quite cheap as compared to the otherwise inflated prices. And the pears are also making a come back in the markets right now. I bought them both, some to be eaten raw and I wanted to give a compote recipe a try.

 

Ingredients

Apple - 1 cup

Pear - 1 cup

Honey - 2 tbsp

Cinnamon - 1/2 inch piece

Bay Leaf - 1 small

Lime essence - 1/2 tsp

Water - 1/4 cup (+3tbsp)

The apple and pear are to be peeled, cored and diced into small pieces and then measured. The size of the fruit will hence decide how much you need to use. It took me 1 apple and 1.5 pears to make a cup each. The recipe is quite simple, put all the ingredients except the lime essence together in a pot and mix well. Put the pot on low heat and cover and cook. When cooking, keep an eye on it so it does not catch the bottom and burn. The fruits should soften in about 15 minutes. Once done add the lime essence and take it off the heat. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf.

The apple and pear compote is ready.

It can either be cooled, bottled and refrigerated to be used later as a topping on ice creams and puddings or can be served for dessert on it own. To serve, take a dessert goblet and spoon the compote till half full, top with whipped cream and a pitted cherry.

Pear Banana Smoothie

Fresh and seasonal fruits should be used in smoothies, that makes them full of flavor and naturally sweet. For the last few weeks, the local weekly market had an abundance of pears both the soft and the crisp kind. Just like an apple, it is a delight to bite into a crisp pear. BTW pears are from the apple family. I wanted the soft pear or babugosha as it is called in Delhi, to be the dominant taste in this smoothie. Hence I used 1 pear to half a banana. Again, same as my earlier smoothies I don't think this smoothie needs a sweetener. The pear and banana makes this smoothie really sweet. I used fruits that were ripe but not excessively so; use them at its peak of ripeness to completely relish its flavor and sweetness. Also, under-ripe fruits do not make a smoothie great.

Ingredients
Almonds - 12 to 15
Pear - 1 soft variety
Banana - half

Soak the almonds overnight, so that the almonds are ground well. Grind the almonds with about half cup water till completely smooth. You can lessen the water to get a thicker consistency. Skin and core the pear and dice them. Dice the banana as well. Add the pear and banana to the blender with the ground almonds and blend till completely smooth. The smoothie is ready.

 

The pear has a lot of benefits, it is known for its dietary fiber, anti-oxidants, minerals and vitamins. It has moderate amounts of antioxidant flavonoids phyto-nutrients such as beta-carotene, lutein and zea-xanthin. These compounds, along with vitamin C and A, help to keep  the body protected from harmful free radicals. The fruit is a good source of minerals such as copper, iron, potassium, manganese and magnesium as well as B-complex vitamins such as folates, riboflavin and pyridoxine (vitamin B-6). It also has one of the lowest calories in the fruit family. Its dietary fiber helps prevent colon and breast cancer and keeping the cholesterol count low.