Homemade Cherry Compote

This compote also would be great along side of many other desserts as well as ice cream or yogurt or panna cotta or cheesecake or pancakes or or or… whatever you like.

(In Eastern Europe - Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Lithuania, etc. "Compote" has a slightly different meaning. It is used to describe a light refreshing drink most often made of dried fruit boiled in water with some sugar and left to cool and infuse.)

Ingredients

• Black cherries ............. 500 g


• Water ........................... 2/3 cup
  
• Light brown sugar ...... 125 g
  
• Fresh lemon juice ........ 3 tbps
  
• Rum ............................... 3 tbps
  
• Cinnamon stick ............ 2 inch


• Vanilla bean .................. 3 inch
  
• Lemon peel ................... a pitch
  

How to...

1. In heavy medium saucepan, bring water, light brown sugar, lemon juice and a pitch of lemon peel to a boil.
   


2. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into saucepan; add bean and cinnamon stick. Return to a boil over high heat.



3. Add cherries and rum, reduce heat to medium-low.



4. Boil until thin syrup forms, about 7 - 10 minutes . At this point, if you would like to keep your cherries whole and lovely as they are, stop cooking it and you’re done.



5. I ended up simmer about 5 minutes more, until the cherries were tender, slightly more broken down, but quite far from a jam.



6. Remove the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean pieces from the compote.
   
   
7. Cool the compote, then cover until cold.

Notes...

Almost any type of fruit and flavorings (juice, spices, herbs) can be used to make compote.

Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, the compote should last up to two months.

How to remove stem without cherry pitter?

Use pastry tip.

Health Benefits of Cherry...

Cherry juice can be used to relieve the pain and inflammation of arthritis, gout, muscle pain, back pain...

Cherries contain anti-inflammatory anthocyanins. These powerful antioxidants, anthocyanins, found in cherries, give them their rich red color and are believed to help relieve inflammation in the body.

These same anthocyanins are also found in blueberries and other purplish-red fruits and vegetables and they may also offer some protection from colon cancer, heart attack and stroke.

Gout is caused by increased levels of uric acid in the blood and cherry juice works by lowering these levels. The anti-inflammatory properties of cherry juice helps relieve the symptoms of chronic arthritis.

A recent study suggests that cherry juice, taken before strenuous exercise and immediately afterward, can alleviate muscle pain. Try drinking cherry juice before and after exercise.