Blackberry Lilac Compote

This compote has a delicate floral flavour of lilacs with sweet bursts of blackberries. Top off ice cream, pancakes, French toast, or you can add it to a cheese platter and enjoy with a bottle of wine.

I’ve been combining two of my favourite joys; flowers and baking may just be my new thing! During the spring when the lilacs bloomed I made lilac sugar that inspired me to create delicate floral desserts and baking. Now this blackberry lilac compote has bloomed from all this inspiration.

I love making compote and how versatile it is. You can be creative to dress recipes up and add a little flair on a moment’s notice.

Here’s everything you need to know about compote

What is Compote? Compote means mixture in French and is made using whole fruits, sugar that is cooked in water and/or spices. It can be served cold or hot. The end result is similar to a homemade jam but is silkier and the fruit bursts with freshness. Jam is thicker and will last a lot longer than a compote.

Storing: Compote should be consumed within 2 weeks, you can freeze compote for up to 2 months but it is not meant to be canned or preserved like jam for months and years ahead. It is simple to make and is meant to be used within a few days.

The beautiful thing about making compote is you can easily whip up a batch as it takes no time at all. You simply throw your fruit, sugar, water and spice in a pot to cook on the stove top for 15 – 20 minutes.

Fruit Variations: Anything really goes when it comes to making a compote. Some inspiration for variations can include:

Spices/Flavours

• Extracts; vanilla, almond, maple
• Lemon
• Orange peel
• Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg
• Coconut
• Edible flowers; lavender, lilac, camomile, rose
• Mint, basil, thyme
• Ginger root

Fruit

• Strawberry
• Raspberry
• Peach
• Blackberry
• Cherry
• Pear
• Rhubarb
• Black Raspberries
• Apple
• Combination of fruit; ie. mixed berries, strawberry rhubarb, etc.

Note: you can use frozen fruit to make compote as well. There is no need to defrost the fruit, just add to the pot and cook as you would with fresh fruit. If frozen fruit has a lot of ice on it, I would give it a rinse first as this will add more liquid that will probably have a freezer taste to it. And no one wants that in a compote!

How to use compote: Now comes the fun part! You can literally add compote to anything your heart desires.

• Meat; pork, chicken, duck, beef, lamb
• Waffles, pancakes, oatmeal, granola, French toast
• Ice cream, yogurt, pudding
• Cheese & meat boards, crostinis
• Cheesecake, cake, scones

Overall making compote is simple and an easy way to spruce up meals and desserts. With this blackberry lilac compote I made homemade flakies! Yup, you heard me, flakies! It is a puff pastry filled with whipping cream and this delicate floral compote, a treat you will not be able to resist!

I hope you enjoy this recipe and the simple sweet version of adding lilac sugar to the compote. If you don’t have lilac sugar you can substitute granulated sugar. But if you can remember the next time you see lilacs blooming grab a bunch. Then you can make some sugar of your own to store away for some of this compote and other recipes here on the blog.

Happy Baking Friends!

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