Late Summer Stone Fruit Compote

At the end of summer, the season’s sweetness leaves us with the gradual and then sudden swiftness of a sunset. We are all warmth and glow and then gone, left in the quiet stillness of fall’s transformation. But in the days we have left, before the official turn of summer to fall, we have the opportunity to savor the produce that was in abundance in months past. This easy stone fruit compote will let you bring some of that sweetness with you into autumn.

It truly is as easy as it seems. You can make this compote with bruised or partially over-ripe fruit—just make sure to trim off the icky parts. (Many farmers market vendors sell bruised fruit for half price—just ask, it’s there for this very purpose!)

I love this compote in the morning, on yogurt or hot cereal, at lunch or snack-time, with nut butters, at cocktail hour, with cheeses and on fancy toasts, and at dessert over ice cream or frozen yogurt.

A jar will stay fresh about a month in the fridge. If you want to extend the shelf-life of the compote, use jars that seal for canning and submerge them upright in a boiling water bath for about 10 minutes. Leave them to sit, untouched, for the next 24 hours. If the lid doesn’t move up and down when you place pressure on it, they’re properly sealed and preserved.

By Lily Diamond
Published on September 24, 2015