Why It Works
- Briefly macerating the strawberries with sugar draws out some of its liquid; discarding that liquid results in a thicker, jammier compote with a fresher flavor.
- Incorporating lemon juice adds a bright acidity that offsets the sweetness of the berries, while keeping the amount of sugar light prevents the compote from being cloyingly sweet.
I have a really, really bad shopping problem—at the farmers market. I can’t seem to stop myself from buying more fruit than I can reasonably consume. When all my favorite summer fruits come into season—strawberries, cherries, peaches, just to name a few—I find myself filling my basket and the trunk of my car with more produce than my family can handle. I reason with myself: The season is so short, so fleeting! What better way to take advantage of it than to eat as much of it as possible?
Alas, my eyes are always bigger than my stomach. Before I know it, my strawberries start to look a little sad and I have to come up with a game-plan. Though the berries may not look their freshest, they’re still excellent cooked, and I make the most of the fruit by turning them into a saucy compote. I fill my freezer with jars upon jars of compote like a bear preparing for hibernation, knowing it will see me through the rest of the year and brighten up the dark, cold days of winter.
I’ll swirl the compote into my yogurt, top my oatmeal with it, and layer it into desserts. As Daniel wrote in his recipe for strawberry-rhubarb compote, it’s just sweet enough to end your meal with, but not so cloying that you wouldn’t want to have it for breakfast. You can easily adjust the compote’s sweetness to taste; season it with additional lemon juice for a tangier sauce and decrease the sugar if you’d prefer. And if it isn’t strawberry season but you still feel like making this compote, don’t be afraid to reach for frozen strawberries. They’re often frozen at peak ripeness, making them an option that’s just as—and possibly even more—delicious than fresh.
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