Apricot Compote
Also called apricot kompot, kompot
Whole apricots in a thin, clear, lightly sweet liquid, served cold as a drink.
- Makes
- about 2 liters, 8 glasses
Ingredients
Amounts are for the recipe. Sizes, times and temperatures in the method are not scaled.
Amounts worked out from the other system are rounded.
Method
Wash the apricots (500 g1 lb) and leave them whole, with the stones in. Prick each one once or twice with a toothpick so the skins don't burst.
Bring the water (2 l8 cups) and sugar (120 g½ cup + 2 tbsp) to a boil in a large pot, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
Add the apricots and bring back to a bare simmer. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes without stirring, skimming off any foam. Don't let it boil hard, or the fruit breaks up and clouds the liquid.
Take the pot off the heat and add the lemon juice, if using. Cover and leave it to cool completely. The fruit flavors the liquid as it sits.
Chill. Ladle into glasses, with two or three apricots in each.
Notes
- Sweetness. It should be only lightly sweet, like a drink. Taste the cooled liquid and stir in more sugar if the fruit was tart, up to about 150 g in all.
- Fruit. Use apricots that are ripe but still firm. Soft ones fall apart.
- Keeps 4 to 5 days in the fridge.
- Dried apricots. Out of season, use 200 g dried apricots. Rinse them, simmer 10 to 15 minutes until plump, and let them cool in the liquid the same way.