Drinks like compote were known in Russia before the 18th century (the very word came later from the French language). Currently, the tradition of preparing various compotes is widespread, especially in Eastern Europe.
In the modern sense, compote is a fruit refreshing or dessert drink made from fresh, dried or frozen fruits boiled in water. Correctly cooked compote not only quenches thirst well, but also maximally preserves the natural taste and benefits of fruits and berries.
Compotes are prepared from different edible fruits and berries (both separately and assorted), usually with the addition of sugar, which is especially convenient for conservation, but this ingredient is not obligatory at all. Sometimes wine, honey, zest, spices (cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, ginger, barberry, juniper fruits, etc.) are added to compotes in order to give special tints of taste.
It is very convenient to prepare useful and tasty compotes from frozen berries. If you have a good modern refrigerator or freezer on the farm, you can freeze berries for future use by season. In retail chains, pre-packaged fruit freezes are also widely represented. When properly prepared, compotes of frozen berries are definitely more useful than canned ones, because in the case of shock freezing, almost all vitamins and other useful substances are quite well preserved.
Let's talk about making compotes of frozen berries. In most berries (currants, gooseberries, raspberries, cherries, etc.), the skin is tender enough. The skin of wild berries such as cranberries, blueberries, viburnum, blueberries, mountain ash, etc. is not much thicker. The very berries themselves are small in size. Therefore, when preparing the compote, the main thing is not to digest, in order to preserve the maximum of useful substances.
Let's see how to brew compote of berries. It does not matter whether fresh or frozen berries we use, we cook for a minimum time.
The recipe for compote of berries
Ingredients:
- berries (any, can be different) - about 1-2 kg, depending on the desired saturation;
- water - from 2 to 3 liters;
- sugar (optional) - to taste, for example, 2-5 tbsp. spoons, but it is more useful without it.
Preparation
In a saucepan with boiling water, we lay frozen (or washed fresh) berries. We wait 30-60 seconds and turn off the fire. You can add sugar and dissolve it with gentle stirring. Cover the pan with a lid and insist until it cools completely. If you want to add honey instead of sugar, it is better to do this when the compote is cooled to a temperature of 60 degrees C (at temperatures higher the beneficial substances from honey turn into harmful). If desired, you can season the compote with a small amount of spices or add some fragrant herbs (mint, lemon balm, etc.).
You can not cook at all - it's even more useful.
Compote of fresh berries
Preparation
We put berries (for example, 1 kg) in a saucepan and pour boiling water (for example, 2 liters). You can add sugar and dissolve it by stirring. Cover the lid and wait for the complete cooling.
If the berries have dense skin and / or flesh, or you add dried (dried berries), you can boil them up to 3 minutes, and it is better to strengthen the extraction with a thermos.
The second option is compote. We put the berries in a thermos and pour boiling water at the rate (1: 2 or 1: 3, the liquid will be tasteless). We insist a minimum of 4 hours, but it is better not more than 8.
Compote of berries in a multivark
Preparation
We put the berries in the working capacity of the multivark, pour boiling water and close the lid. We select a mode such that to maintain a certain constant temperature without boiling (for example, about 70 degrees C), and set the desired time. In general, we often prepare compotes from cherries , quinces or other berries and enjoy ourselves and treat ourselves to useful and tasty drinks for home and guests.