Blackberry Compote Recipe

This Blackberry Compote recipe is simple and delicious. It elevates any breakfast spread and is the perfect way to flavor your Homemade Greek Yogurt. This simple recipe can make you look like a pro by adding to your favorite meals and baked goods.

At the bakery we use this compote in our Blackberry Cobbler Rolls as well as part of our Charcuterie Class to top baked brie. We have gotten rave reviews of this simple mixture and cannot wait to share it with you!

What to do with all these berries?

So, what’s all the fuss about fruit compotes? Not until the last two decades or so, and especially the last decade, were berries so widely available. In fact, my mom says she can’t remember ever eating berries unless they picked them, in season. Now that may have been because they didn’t have the money to spend on extravagant berries throughout the year. But actually, berries weren’t available on the store shelves in the winter the way they are now. It seems you can have berries any time you want them! In fact, agricultural advances have made it possible to grow berries, ship berries, and eat berries whenever you want.

Of course, we all know how packed with health benefits berries are, and so I guess having berries all year long is a good thing. But it does sort of take away from that feeling of entering the berry briars and picking and eating fresh seasonal berries, complaining about the heat and the thorns. Oh, the memories…

When my siblings and I would pick berries, whether it be blackberries, blueberries, or strawberries, my mom would freeze most of them, but enjoy fresh ones in different recipes until they were gone. Fruit compotes were always part of that because they would last in the fridge and she could use them in a variety of ways. She called it “blackberry sauce.” Now when I see “fancy” recipes that use fruit compotes, I think back to those days fondly, before I knew the meaning of words like, “compote.”

Newlywed Homesteading

Married at 19, in a college apartment with a kitchen the size of a closet, I had very few exciting meals on the menu. I had always had a love for baking but had very little experiences cooking. I had grown up watching my mother cook for our army of a family, but I was always on “fetching duty”–grabbing her ingredients, setting the table, putting ice in the glasses. This time in the kitchen had given me a false sense of confidence about my cooking abilities, leading me to feel like a fish out of water in my own kitchen.

I was looking to impress my new husband with something other than hot dogs or macaroni, and that is when I remembered making this simple Blackberry Compote with my mom. I remembered her teaching me how to make the cornstarch slurry for the first time and being shocked at how simple it was. So, one night for dinner I made French toast with bacon and Blackberry Compote on the side. I set it on our little two-person table, and I remember feeling so proud of my little spread. At last, I felt like I could not only handle cooking, but I could enjoy it. Just that simple recipe gave me confidence to try the next thing, and the next thing…

One of the best pieces of homemaking advice my mom ever gave me was, “When you learn to do something, do it over and over and it will become a natural part of your day.” When she served it with our French toast or waffles, it seemed like something so fancy, and then I made it! Since that first time in our apartment, I’ve made this over and over again. And just like my mother said, I don’t even think about it now; I just throw it together and watch my husband, or my son, or my guests enjoy it.

What is a Blackberry Compote?

Compote is French for mixture. It is commonly a mixture of frozen or fresh fruit mixed over heat until cooked into a chunky sauce consistency. It tends to be thicker than jam and have more chunks of the fruit intact. It’s perfect for…

• Enjoying over ice cream
• Mixing with Homemade Greek Yogurt
• Topping Baked Brie with Honey
• Flavoring Creamy Homemade Popsicles
• Slathering on a warm biscuit
• On your French Toast, Pancakes or Waffles
• Putting on your fresh Sourdough Bread
• We use this at our bakery in our Blackberry Cobbler Rolls

The process of making any fruit compote

The Slurry

WHat is a slurry?

First, let’s talk about the slurry. Learning to make a slurry will have a major impact on your daily menu because it is a skill that will help you make so many sauces. In fact, I use a slurry to make gravy, to thicken chicken and noodles if I think they’re too thin, to thicken homemade pasta sauce if necessary, and of course, to thicken any kind of fruit compote. So what’s a slurry? A slurry is a thickening agent that consists of a starch and a cold liquid. In this case, the starch is cornstarch, and the liquid is water. When this simple mixture is added to a hot liquid, like beef stock or cooked berries, the result is a clear, velvety, thickened final product. You can also use flour in the same way, but the result won’t be as clear.

Why us a slurry?

You might be asking why not just add the cornstarch to the cold fruit or cold broth from the beginning? Well, you actually can do that if you mix it in really well and then cook it until it’s the desired consistency. However, a slurry has several advantages. In the berry compote, I can gradually add the slurry once it’s hot and stop when it’s the consistency I want. If I’ve added too much cornstarch in the beginning, it may end up too thin or too thick. That’s actually happened to me, and I had to make a slurry anyway to thicken it more! When I’m using a slurry to thicken soup or pasta sauce, I want to cook it a long time to develop flavor and if I thicken it first, the soup or the sauce will stick to the bottom of the pan as I try to simmer it. Waiting until it’s the desired taste to thicken it is the perfect solution! Additionally, waiting until it’s hot, and adding a smooth slurry lessens the chances of having lumps in the sauce.

SLurry ingredients

The ratio of cornstarch to water is generally one part cornstarch to two parts water. However, I never really measure it exactly. It’s just not that particular. In fact, I usually make more than I think I’ll need so that I don’t have to make more in a pinch when the sauce is not as thick as I want it. You’ll see what I mean as you gain experience making it. I usually combine these two things in a cup and give them a good stir until the mixture is very smooth. Getting it nice and smooth will eliminate any lumps in your finished product.

How do you thicken your Blackberry Compote?

In a small saucepan, place blackberries, sugar, a squeeze of lemon juice, and salt. Over medium heat, bring the berries to a boil, then reduce heat to allow berries to simmer for a minute or two, just to dissolve the sugar. Give your slurry one last stir (cornstarch will settle quickly to the bottom of the cup) and add about 2/3 of it to the saucepan of berries. Bring the mixture to a boil and allow it to boil for at least a minute to activate the cornstarch. After a minute of boiling, if it’s not quite thick enough, add a little more and continue until it reaches the consistency you’re looking for. Keep in mind that it will thicken a bit more as it cools. And that’s it! Serve warm over French toast, waffles, or puff pastry; or cool and mix into homemade Greek yogurt. For a beautiful charcuterie board, use this compote to top a wheel of Brie. So many options!

Notes

MAKING AHEAD: Homemade Blackberry Compote is a wonderful thing to make ahead if you have lots of blackberries that you need to do something with before they spoil. After cooking your Blackberry Compote, simply let it cool and place it in an airtight container to freeze. This compote will last for about a week in the refrigerator and up to six months in the freezer. When you’re ready to use it, you can put it in the refrigerator the night before or microwave it until desired temperature.

NOT JUST FOR BLACKBERRIES: This recipe can be used for just about any fruit. I’ve used it for blueberries, red raspberries, cherries and peaches. One recipe adjustment for certain types of fruit, like apples, that don’t have a lot of natural juice is to add a bit of water or apple juice at the start to create some “juice.” Also, you may want to adjust the amount of sugar up or down depending on the fruit. Obviously, for fruit like apples or peaches, you’ll have to peel and chop them first and then continue with the recipe.

ANOTHER HOMEMAKING VICTORY: Slurries and compote! Just another step that will apply to things you haven’t even imagined yet. When Thanksgiving rolls around, making gravy will seem a little more doable because you understand how to make a slurry. Your breakfast table when you have guests will just be more beautiful with a small bowl of blackberry compote dressing it up. Sometimes, when we first become homemakers, we try to tackle bigger things. And when we fail, we just give up because we’re frustrated. Start with the simpler things, develop confidence, and the bigger things won’t seem so big anymore. Enjoy!

What berries to use for your Blackberry Compote

Obviously, fresh berries are the first choice of berries to use, but I have needed compote in the winter and made it from frozen berries as well. Simply thaw the berries first, then place them in the saucepan with sugar and lemon juice and continue per the recipe.