For several days I had promised my readers I’d write the recipe for the apple and cinnamon compote I made last week and finally today I can do it: what better day for this recipe than the beginning of autumn?
The story starts with gathering a lot of small wild apples from my grandfather’s garden tree because it made me sad to see so many fall to the ground. So I ended up with a crate of apples and an idea.
I’ve never made preserves or jams in my life, I’ve only helped my parents in August when they made bottles and tomato purée for the winter. Tons of tomatoes but apples never. I obviously wanted to make something diet-friendly, not too sweet but still tasty. So I threw myself into this experience which, in my opinion, went very well. Here’s how I did it…
You can find other fruit compotes here:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Cooking time: 2 Hours
- Portions: 24
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 2.2 lb apples
- 2 lemons
- 1 1/4 cups raw cane sugar
- 3 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 pod vanilla pod (use a used pod, only the shell)
- Points per serving (2.1 oz) = 1 WW point
Tools
- Food mill
- Jars
Steps
Squeeze the two lemons and set the juice aside.
Wash the apples very well, cut them into quarters leaving the peel and seeds, removing any impurities from the surface.
As you cut the apples, put them in a large bowl together with the juice of one of the lemons and stir often to prevent them from browning.
When all the apples are cut, lift them from the bowl and put them in a large pot along with the juice of the second lemon, the sugar, the cinnamon and the used vanilla pod.
Mix well, cover and cook over medium-low heat. The apples should simmer slowly.
This is how the apple compote looks at about halfway through cooking and then after roughly 2 hours of cooking.
Pressing the apples lightly with a wooden spoon they will break down easily. Also the water released during cooking will have evaporated and the consistency is already almost like the final compote.
Let cool slightly and, using a food mill, sieve the compote thoroughly.
Use the disc with large holes as I did to obtain a slightly coarser apple compote, or the one with small holes to get a finer, smoother compote.
Return the compote to the heat and bring it to a boil again for a few minutes. Let it cool only briefly and while it is still very hot fill the sterilized jars up to about 3/8 inch from the rim.
Wipe the rims of the jars well with a cloth and close, tightening the lids firmly. Turn the jars upside down and leave them like this until they have cooled.
Once cooled, perform the “click-clack” test to check that the vacuum has formed. Press the lid: it should not move or pop back making the “click-clack” sound.
If it doesn’t move, the vacuum has formed and the jars are ready to be stored in the pantry for several months.
If the vacuum has not formed, as in my case, or for extra hygienic precaution, place the jars in a large pot filled with cold water wrapped in a clean cloth so that they are completely immersed and the glass protected. Bring to a boil for about 30 minutes, turn off the heat and leave them in the pot for several hours to cool. This way the vacuum will form for sure, guaranteed!
As my first experience I must say I was really satisfied and I thought it would be much more difficult: try it and see!
Here is a delicious apple and cinnamon compote, not very sweet, rather with a pleasant slightly tangy taste ideal to serve by the spoonful or to use to fill pastries or flavor yogurt.
In the photo it’s served with low-fat Greek yogurt, cookies, sliced almonds and honey: a super tasty and light snack. I hope you liked the recipe, let me know in the comments.
Enjoy!
by Giovanna Buono
