Delicious and Easy Homemade Cherry Compote From Scratch

 

When I was raising a family of five hungry children my summer months were often spent preserving the summer's bounty. Jams, jellies, pickles, etc. all came under my wheelhouse of care. I loved doing it and I can say with all honesty that none of it ever went to waste.  Now that I am an old woman, living alone, I do very little preserving. Occasionally however I do like to put aside a small batch of something I think I will use up. 

I was lucky enough to bag a real bargain of dark sweet cherries earlier this week. Usually, they are so cost prohibitive that I cannot afford to really buy much to do anything with them, except to eat out of hand.  At only $2.99 a pound however, I was quick to snap up a big bag.

I enjoyed my fill of eating some of them fresh out of hand, and then I decided to make a small batch of Cherry Compote using the remainder of them. Something delicious for me to enjoy in the Winter months ahead. A little taste of summer.

 

The recipe I have made was adapted from a book I have called "Preserving the Pint," by Marisa McClellun.  I have used several recipes from it over the past few years, all with excellent results.

It is a book that specializes in small batch preserving, which makes it perfect for small families like my own, which consist basically of myself and two cats. Perfect for empty nesters as well. It affords me the pleasure of being able to dabble in my old hobby without ending up with a ton of preserves and pickles that I can't use, that I will end up having to give away.

I was very pleased with the way the Cherry Compote turned out. The compote was sweet, but not overly so. The natural flavor of the cherries to shone through. The recipe does us some lemon zest which also enhances the flavor of the cherries, and then there is a bit of almond flavoring, if you are not a fan, simply leave it out.

Aside from the business of pitting the cherries, this went together quickly and easily. I gave a jar to my sister for our father to enjoy, and I ended up with two jars for myself to enjoy. I have one opened now so that I could give you my fair opinion on them, and another is tucked away for the Winter.  This was just the right amount!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHERRY COMPOTE 

(SMALL BATCH)

These amounts are to make two half pint jars.  I had a few more cherries and went for it and came out with three half pint jars.

• 1 1/2 pounds (680g) sweet cherries, washed and dried
• 1 cup (200g) sugar
• the finely grated zest of one small lemon
• 1/2 tsp of almond extract

   

I actually had about 2 pounds of cherries and so I just used the whole lot, using the same amount of sugar as per the recipe, etc.  I did end up with an extra half pint jar. It was delicious and was not a problem.

I used black sweet cherries that I had gotten on offer at the grocery store for only $2.99 a pound. A very good price for cherries.

I used organic granulated sugar. No pectin is needed as we are not making a jam.

I used my micro plane grater to grate the lemon zest. Scrub your lemon really clean before you zest it.

You can leave the almond extract out if you wish or replace it with some almond liqueur.  You could even use vanilla.

HOW TO MAKE CHERRY COMPOTE

1. Prepare a boiling water bath (see instructions below) and 2 half-pint jars (again see instructions). Place the jar lids in a small saucepan of water and bring to a gentle simmer.
2. Pit the cherries according to your favorite method, discarding any stems and pips.
3. Place the cherries in a large saucepan, along with the sugar and lemon zest. Give them a good stir and then leave them to sit for fifteen minutes.
4. Set the saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and simmer, stirring regularly, until the cherries have begun to soften somewhat and a nice amount of syrup has developed. This will take 4 to 6 minutes.
5. Stir the almond extract into the cherries during the last minute of cooking.
6. Remove the pan from the heat. Spoon the cherries and their syrup into the prepared jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace.
7. Wipe the rims of the jars and then apply the hot and sterile lids. Add the rings and then process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove the jars carefully and set aside to cool.
8. You will know that they have sealed properly as the lids will suck in.

 

HOW TO PIT CHERRIES

The easiest way of course is to use a cherry pitter. You can buy one of those HERE and they come in very handy for all sorts including pitting olives. My sister has one and it works very well.

I don't have a cherry pitter and so I had to resort to another method.  

It is said that you can use a paper clip. To use a paper clip, wash and dry the paper clip and then open it out so that it looks like a hook at both ends. (See picture above.) Remove the stem from the cherry and then position the paper clip where the stem was. Insert the paper clip and twist it around to hook the cherry. Pull the pit out.

You can also use a chopstick which is what I did. Remove the stem from the cherry. Insert the chopstick into the space where the stem was and push it into the cherry firmly. The pit should pop out the other end.

You can watch a very clear video on how to use both methods HERE. 

 A word of advice.  Make sure you wear an apron and cover your work surface as the juices can splatter and stain things.

 

HOW TO USE A WATER BATH TO

PROCESS THIS COMPOTE

 

• Put the rack into the canning pot and put the jars on top.
• Fill the pot and the jars with water to cover and bring to the boil.
• Put the lids in a small saucepan of water to cover and bring them to a simmer.
• Bring the canner and water to the boil while you prepare your preserves.
• Remove the jars from the boiling water and set them on a clean towel on the counter.
• Remove the lids with tongs and place on the clean towel also.
• Carefully fill the jars with the preserves, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. (I use a funnel)
• Wipe the rims of the jars clean with some clean and damp paper towel.
• Apply the lids and screw the bands onto the jars to hold the lids down. Tighten the lids with the tips of your fingers just to "Fingertip tight."
• Carefully lower the jars into the canner. The water should cover the tops of the jars by an inch.
• Once the water has returned to the boil, start timing. Process for the required time as recorded in the recipe.
• Promptly remove the jars at the end of that time and place onto the towel-lined countertop and leave to cool
• The jars should ping soon after they have been removed. This is the sign of a good seal.

 

A FEW MORE 

SMALL BATCH PRESERVE RECIPES

PEAR & SAFFRON JAM - Saffron gives this jam a lovely color. The recipe makes one delicious jar of pear jam.  Beautiful to look at and beautiful to the taste.  This is lovely on toast in the mornings and makes a really nice filling for layer cakes.

HONEY STRAWBERRY JAM - This is a beautiful strawberry jam which is naturally sweetened with honey and which requires no pectin. This is a very simple recipe, using only a minimum of simple ingredients. The recipe makes only two half pints of delicious jam.

 

 

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Yield: Two Half-Pints

Author: Marie Rayner

Cherry Compote (small batch)

Come the winter months, I am going to be really pleased with this simple and delicious cherry compote. In fact, I will probably be wishing I had made more!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds (680g) sweet cherries, washed and dried
• 1 cup (200g) sugar
• the finely grated zest of one small lemon
• 1/2 tsp of almond extract

Instructions

1. Prepare a boiling water bath (see notes) and 2 half-pint jars (again see notes). Place the jar lids in a small saucepan of water and bring to a gentle simmer.
2. Pit the cherries according to your favorite method, discarding any stems and pips.
3. Place the cherries in a large saucepan, along with the sugar and lemon zest. Give them a good stir and then leave them to sit for fifteen minutes.
4. Set the saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and simmer, stirring regularly, until the cherries have begun to soften somewhat and a nice amount of syrup has developed. This will take 4 to 6 minutes.
5. Stir the almond extract into the cherries during the last minute of cooking.
6. Remove the pan from the heat. Spoon the cherries and their syrup into the prepared jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace.
7. Wipe the rims of the jars and then apply the hot and sterile lids. Add the rings and then process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove the jars carefully and set aside to cool.
8. You will know that they have sealed properly as the lids will suck in.

Notes

How to Process:

• Put the rack into the canning pot and put the jars on top.
• Fill the pot and the jars with water to cover and bring to the boil.
• Put the lids in a small saucepan of water to cover and bring them to a simmer.
• Bring the canner and water to the boil while you prepare your preserves.
• Remove the jars from the boiling water and set them on a clean towel on the counter.
• Remove the lids with tongs and place on the clean towel also.
• Carefully fill the jars with the preserves, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. (I use a funnel)
• Wipe the rims of the jars clean with some clean and damp paper towel.
• Apply the lids and screw the bands onto the jars to hold the lids down. Tighten the lids with the tips of your fingers just to "Fingertip tight."
• Carefully lower the jars into the canner. The water should cover the tops of the jars by an inch.
• Once the water has returned to the boil, start timing. Process for the required time as recorded in the recipe.
• Promptly remove the jars at the end of that time and place onto the towel-lined countertop and leave to cool
• The jars should ping soon after they have been removed. This is the sign of a good seal.

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