THE FOOD OUT HERE

Blueberry compote, she wrote

BY HUNTER HILL
Posted 7/27/22

If you are as busy as my wife and I have been, simple is a much-needed element to any part of the day. 

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THE FOOD OUT HERE

Blueberry compote, she wrote

Posted

If you are as busy as my wife and I have been, simple is a much-needed element to any part of the day. 

After a long couple of weeks managing the blueberry patch at our farmstand, we had two thoughts: we wanted to eat a few of these delicious little blue berries, and we didn’t want to get too crazy making something out of them. 

Of course, we have been snacking on them fresh off the bush for nearly two weeks now. At some point, though, those dreams of blueberry-inspired desserts and treats creep into your daydreams and become demanding. 

Creative when it comes to nutritious and delicious ingredients, my wife has had a longstanding recipe for blueberry compote that we both enjoy. It’s not a full dessert in itself, but we were fortunate to be gifted leftover cheesecake from a friend. So now with a tasty cheesecake ready for syrupy adornment, we had the perfect vehicle for a compote.

A mere 10 to 15 minutes later, after putting the boys to bed for the night, we had an evening treat. 

On a separate note, the cheesecake element is timeless. After all, is there ever a season not to enjoy cheesecake? For those pondering this life question, the only correct answer is “No.”

A plain wedge of cheesecake would have been equally enjoyable, but was made all the more so by this easy topping. There are a whopping two ingredients. It really can’t get much simpler. 

Combine berries and sugar in a saucepan, and cook down into sticky fruit syrup. If you have an abundance of wild raspberries or blackberries, you can easily substitute that berry for your compote. However, since we are in the height of blueberry season for another few weeks because of the steady warm weather, I suggest taking advantage of the main event. 

Do you have to eat them all at once? No. As we pick our surplus for the year, we freeze them dry on a flat cookie sheet. Once they are frozen this way, they can be packed in freezer Ziploc bags and stored without risk of clumping and freezing together in the bag. 

If you have little ones like we do, even the frozen berries are a treat. Our oldest has a bit of a blueberry addiction—he eats berries from the freezer bag without warming them up or having them in pancakes. I imagine it’s a lot like eating frozen yogurt, but I’m far happier to eat them in their prepared forms.

 Even my son likes a little leftover blueberry compote drizzled into his yogurt or on top of his breakfast. It even goes well on toast or English muffins. The uses are only limited by your imagination. 

The way out here, we like to spoil ourselves with the literal fruits of our labors. Right now, that’s blueberries. Pray for us when the youngest is able to eat more solid foods. We may need a team to pick enough blueberries to satisfy our young horde. In the meantime, I think my wife and I will just sneak our blueberry compote-covered cheesecake under cover of darkness after the two of our offspring have succumbed to slumber.

Blueberry compote

Recipe courtesy of Mrs. Chelsea Hill.

2 cups blueberries

1/4 cup white granulated sugar

Combine the blueberries and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally to prevent burning or to keep the contents from sticking to the pot. 

Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the berries have burst and the mixture has thickened enough to stick to the back of a spoon. 

Serve over dessert of your choice.

cooking, recipe, blueberries

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