Kompot/компот (not our familiar French “compote”, even though the word originated in France) is the homemade fruit drink of Slavic countries. Everyone has their own recipe and the ingredients change according to the season and the area they come from. I got the recipe from apples and plums, but it can also be made with strawberries, cherries or other styles of fruit, so it’s up to you to be inspired. For the following pictures, this time I had cherries and apples so I decided to try this mix.
Ingredients
- 2-3 liters of water
- 5 apples (preferably slightly tart)
- 5-6 plums or +/-15 cherries for a little red color
- 5-6 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Bring water to the boil.
- Meanwhile, cut the apples into thin slices or small cubes, and the pitted plums/cherries into quarters.
- When the water is boiling, add the fruit and sugar and keep boiling for 10-15 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and leave the fruits to infuse for another 30 minutes.
- You can then either leave the fruits in the container or separate them from the beverage.
- Optional : To avoid waste, you can make a more traditional French compote with the remaining fruits.
- Leave to stand to reach room temperature and keep in the fridge afterwards.
For summer, of course, you need to keep the kompot in the fridge and enjoy a cool drink. If you do this for long storage in a well-sterilized jar, I think you can save it for the cooler periods at the end of the year, but I don’t have that expertise, so you’ll have to ask better specialists.
Perfect for quenching your thirst with a sweet homemade drink where you at least know its composition, I find it a good alternative for consuming our garden (or market) fruit when we’re short of ideas for pies, cakes, desserts or just bored of eating them plain. I’d be delighted to hear from you about this recipe that’s easy for any novice and requires little effort apart from the pitting.
Enjoy your refreshments my friends.