Dried fruit, ginger and cognac come together as fruit compote

But, nonetheless, I never forgot my first taste and the idea of stewed fruit. I love to make all kinds of dried fruit compotes for topping simple desserts — and oatmeal. I think of it as a sweet relish, a condiment that is ready to make a slice of ordinary pound cake, or a bowl of ice cream into a more exciting offering. But that’s not all, my favorite use this time of year is to dress up humdrum bowl of oatmeal. It is a welcome change of pace from bananas and/or raisins.

My favorite combination is dried prunes, apricots and cherries and a tiny bit of minced crystallized ginger. But if you have dried pears, they would be lovely in there as well. This is also a good way to use up all the little bits of dried fruit and raisins that you might have left over from holiday baking.

I season the compote lightly with a touch of nutmeg and vanilla, but a cinnamon stick would be nice if you have one. I also don’t add any additional sugar as I find that dried fruit is sweet enough. If you want to add a little sugar, I would add dark brown sugar to give the compote a deeper sweet flavor. And, as a nod to my friend’s mother, Dottie, I add just a splash of cognac. Just enough to add flavor and enhance the natural fruit flavors but not so much that it becomes “drunken fruit!”

My recipe is for about 3 cups of dried fruit, but you can easily double or triple it, and it stays good in the refrigerator for a very long time. This year, I am going to make a triple batch and fill pint mason jars to give as hostess gifts during the busy holiday season.

DRIED FRUIT COMPOTE

Servings: 10

Start to finish: 3 1/2 hours (Active time: 20 minutes)

1 cup filtered water

1 cup apple cider

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

1/8teaspoon ground nutmeg

Zest of a clementine or half an orange

1 generous cup or an 8-ounce bag of dried plums (prunes)

1 generous cup dried whole apricots

1/2generous cup dried cherries

1 tablespoon minced crystallized ginger, optional

1 tablespoon cognac or Grand Marnier, optional but a very good addition

Bring water, apple cider, vanilla, salt, nutmeg to a boil in a heavy-bottomed 4-quart pot.

Add zest and dried fruit and stir. Bring back to a boil. Place the lid on the pot and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes or until fruit is plump. Add the ginger and cognac if using. Stir and turn off the heat. Let sit for 2-3 hours or until it has cooled to room temperature.

Place fruit and some of the liquid in a mason jar for storing and gift giving. Store in the refrigerator for about 1 month.

Warm slightly before serving over oatmeal, pound cake, ice cream, rice pudding, etc.

Nutrition information per serving: 121 calories; 1 calories from fat; 0 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 36 mg sodium; 30 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 20 g sugar; 1 g protein.