Spicy Apple Compote

This apple compote – sauce can be prepared in one hour, from tree to jar, if you are really organised and efficient, it’ so simple. Hot wash and then sterilise the jam jars, by placing in a warm oven, at 140 degrees Celsius, for half an hour, or hot wash your tupperware containers if you are going to freeze the compote. Get your chopping board, knife, maslin pan and all ingredients at the ready.

I use whole spices, and grind them with a pestle and mortar – they taste and smell infinitely better than ready ground spices. The apples we have in our orchard are Grenadiers, filled with Malic acid which makes them really tart, like Bramleys.

You can add as much or as little sugar you like, depending on how sweet you want your compote. If you are going to add honey for a breakfast compote, then add less sugar during the cooking. Some cooks include a knob of butter in the pan and some also blitz their compote – sauce. Personally, I like bite and texture {otherwise it feels like eating baby puree}.

For every 1 kg of apples {peeled, cored and finely diced weight} I add 100g of granulated sugar.

I also add:

100ml of water

3 cardamom pods, finely ground

1 cinnamon stick, finely ground

3 cloves,finely ground

1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

Method

Place all the ingredients in a maslin pan and bring to a medium heat, stirring. When the apples start bubbling and cooking, turn the heat down slightly – you need to reach a good simmer.

Simmer gently away for half an hour, stirring frequently to ensure that the compote does not catch and burn.

When the apples are all soft and mushy, turn the heat off, and let the pot cool slightly, for five minutes.

Ladle the warm compote into sterilised jars, or clean Tupperware containers.

Serve with yoghurt, crème fraiche, fromage frais or as a sauce with roast pork, ham or duck. .