How To Make Strawberry Compote: Quick and Easy Hacks for Your Desserts

Are you still waiting for the winter season to use freshly sliced and chopped strawberries for your desserts? Why don’t you preserve the luscious fruit by making strawberry compote? This way, you can not only have the flavor of strawberries all year round but also you can stop settling for usual desserts without generous toppings and fillings.

Being a versatile ingredient, strawberries pair well with almost every dessert, breakfast, and even some side dishes. Whether you’re baking a cupcake or having a toast for breakfast, just adding strawberry compote can take your dessert and meal to the next level. So, why don’t you take some fresh strawberries and make a luscious compote with the easy recipe mentioned below? To guide you further, you can follow some easy hacks to make the most of your homemade strawberry compote.

What Is Strawberry Compote And Why Should You Make It?

Strawberry compote is nothing but a sweet sauce made by cooking strawberries. You can use both frozen and fresh strawberries to make the compote. It is traditionally made by simmering strawberries with sugar and water to retain the natural taste and flavor of the fruit.

While strawberry compote is easily available in the market, it is best if you make it at home as you can monitor the quality of the strawberries you’re using and also avoid the addition of preservatives. Furthermore, you can adjust the consistency and sweetness of the compote to your liking. If you like chunkier compote, you can make a thicker puree and vice versa. You can then add the strawberry compote to a range of desserts like cakes, pies, and even ice cream. Here’s how you can make it yourself.

How To Make Strawberry Compote At Home?

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh strawberries
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Take some fresh strawberries, wash them, and chop them into small pieces.
2. Combine the chopped strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
3. Heat the mixture in a saucepan over low heat. Keep stirring till the strawberries are softened.
4. After simmering for about ten minutes, mash the strawberries to get your desired texture.
5. Let the compote cook till it starts to thicken, and then turn off the heat.
6. Once the mixture has cooled, store the compote in an airtight container till the next use.

Hacks To Make The Best Strawberry Compote

While using the most fresh batch of strawberries is kind of a given, here are some hacks to make the best batch of strawberry compote at home.

Use Citrus Juices

While the traditional recipe uses plain water to make compote, you can replace it with citrus juices like orange or lemon juice. Balancing the sweetness of strawberries mixed with sugar, the lemon or orange juice will give the compote a refreshing flavor. If you need a stronger flavor, you can also add lemon or orange zest while cooking the strawberries.

Add Vanilla Extract

If there’s a step that people generally forget while making compote, it is adding a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Just a few drops of vanilla essence can take the flavor of the strawberry compote to an unmatchable level, making it richer and more aromatic.

Toss In Fresh Herbs

If you want to give your strawberry compote a sophisticated touch, you can add some fresh, earthy herbs like basil or mint. Just before mashing strawberries, you can wash, chop, and add the herbs to the same saucepan. For a cooling effect and refreshing compote, you can add mint leaves. Similarly, for a slightly earthy note, you can add a few basil leaves.

Experiment With Spices

To further elevate the warmth of your strawberry compote, you can add spices like cinnamon and cardamom. Just a pinch of the spices while you are simmering the mixture can be added, and the spiced compote can be used to pair beautifully with puddings, pies, and even cereals.

Use Natural Sweeteners

To make the strawberry compote healthier, you can replace refined sugar with natural sweeteners. You can add honey or maple syrup to make the compote. It is best if you add the natural sweeteners at the end of the cooking process to retain their nutritional value. You can then add it to your desserts or breakfast for a guilt-free indulgence.