Blueberry Compote

Blueberries are one of my favourite summer fruits, and can often be found growing in the wild in Northern Europe. We pick wild blueberries (waldheidelbeeren) in Germany in July and August in the forests but they are, like most wild foods, hard to find in the Netherlands.

I recently ordered a package of organic fresh blueberries from a farmer in Spain, but apart from that now I’ll be using frozen or waiting until they’re in season where I live. It was nice to have some before the season starts here but best to wait until they’re available locally.

If you have an excess of berries, or want a delicious topping for desserts, this blueberry compote is a great way to use them. It freezes well and can be made while the berries are available and tucked away for winter.

You need just a handful of ingredients for this recipe. It’s sweetened with maple syrup or honey and has a slightly more rounded flavour than might be typical in a compote, but it’s very good.

Ingredients

• Blueberries: fresh or frozen, depending on the season. Both wild and standard blueberries are delicious here and can be used interchangeably.
• Lemon Juice: this provides a slight acidic counterpoint and prevents the berries from sticking to the pot.
• Maple Syrup or Honey: both work well and taste fantastic with blueberries.

Notes and Substitutions

Use fresh and frozen, wild and cultivated berries interchangeably. With frozen you may need to cook slightly longer if there’s a lot of liquid in the pot.

Sugar can be used in a pinch to replace the liquid sweetener. The recipe calls for minimal sweetness so you may want to increase slightly to your taste.

Vanilla and cinnamon are both delicious additions if you want to make things a bit more interesting. It depends on how you plan to use your compote, but spices can certainly be added.

Try adding the zest from the lemons you’re juicing for a brighter citrus hint. As always, don’t over-zest or you’ll have a bitter taste from the pith (the white of the lemon rind).

More Blueberry Recipes

Blueberry Almond Muffins
Blueberry Peanut Butter Smoothie
Banana Blueberry Muffins
Vegan Blueberry Pie

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