Berry Compote

I love it. I just finished making it. I used frozen bluberries for this recipe.

This is fabulous! I used a variety of frozen berries from Costco. Had it over Angel Food Cake and vanilla ice cream....I'm sitting back with a satisfied smile.

Warm over vanilla ice cream! Delicious!

I'm curious about the Angel Food Cake that Nicole S mention above, do you have a good recipe for it?

I have a black berry tree in my yard. This year´s "harvest" has been huge and I don´t know what to do with so many berries.
questions:
1. Would you have a tip on how to freeze the berries? And for how long can I keep them in my freezer?
2. About the compote: for how long can I store it? Do I have to keep it on the fridge?
3. I heard that adding lime juice and cinnamon to the compote gives a special flavour. Do you recommend it?
Thanks :-)
Sara

You can definitely freeze berries. Wash and thoroughly dry the berries. Line a tray with parchment or plastic wrap (for easy removal) and place the berries onto the tray (it is best if they aren't touching each other). Transfer to the freezer. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag or vacuum seal them. Here is a good link that talks about preserving many goods.

You can definitely add aromatics, spices and herbs that pair well with fruit when making compote. This is how you personalize your cooking. It's all about experimenting to see what you really like. A touch of cinnamon (or a small cinnamon stick), any type of citrus juice (or zest)...even a vanilla bean can offer delicious flavor. Don't overdo it though, you always want to be able to taste the fruit! Cheers!

If I double the recipe do I need to double the corn starch and water?

Yes, when scaling a recipe you need to equally increase (or decrease) all of the amounts. Cheers!

They say you should never go shopping on an empty stomach. I didn't do that, but I went shopping after a couple of days of swimming around the Rouxbe site and now I've got a lot of prep work and freezing ahead of me this weekend.

One of my impulse purchases was all of the ingredients in this recipe. Berry compote will stay for a while, but I want to get that done a.s.a.p. My question is about the thickening agent. I see on the site that corn starch is often used. Is there a reason you use this in a lot of the recipes and not other thickeners?

I've got some arrowroot and I want to give that a try. Anything about differences in consistency, taste, color that I should keep in mind. Your expert opinions would be greatly appreciated. In the meantime, marching on with the fresh beef bones for stock...

Thanks in advance.

Different starches have different thickening abilities, and some leave a smoother mouth feel. Cornstarch is a very common thickening agent as it leaves a nice glossy sheen and it is easy to find and use etc. etc.

A non-gluten (flour) alternative, that also works well is arrowroot. It thickens very well, at a lower temperature so it doesn't have to come to a boil, and has a smooth mouth feel.

There are many other out there as well, which may or may not work in the way you want them to, depending on what you are making. You may just want to do a bit of research and experimenting to get the best feel for how they all work, feel and taste. Here is a bit more information on thickening agents that you may find helpful. Cheers!

Thanks Dawn. I'm heading for the kitchen right after printing out this recipe.

Un saludo...

You are most welcome Jim. Keep up the great work! Cheers.