Dried Fruit Compote

R3A2 DRIED FRUIT COMPOTE

Based on a Martha Stewart recipe. This is a crowd-pleasing dessert that goes well after a heavy meal such as at Thanksgiving, Easter or Passover. It's parve, vegan and gluten-free and has no nuts, no wheat and no chocolate. Quick and easy. Suitable for a pot-luck. Make it a day or two ahead or just before the meal.

INGREDIENTS*

3 c. apple cider (the result is very sweet so maybe substitute
      part water next time? I used Martinelli's cider
      but would use unfiltered fresh cider in season.)
6 dried pears halves (I cut each pear-half lengthwise into four
      strips, then crosswise into thirds)
12 dried apricots (they also are halves but Martha doesn't
      mention this; I cut them crisscross into quarters)
6 dried pitted prunes, optional (Martha doesn't mention prunes
      but I like the taste and the contrasting dark note to
      what is otherwise all orange-red. I cut them in sixths.)
3/4 c. dried cherries (about 5 oz.)
3/4 c. dried golden raisins (about 5 oz.)
1 lemon, zest and juice
1/2" piece of raw ginger, peeled
2 cinnamon sticks
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (or more or none: the spicy taste
      seemed to fade away with cooling, so maybe add it after
      cooking? Martha used a pinch of freshly ground white pepper
      which might survive the simmering better.)

* Fruit choices and amounts are pretty much Martha's. You could vary them based on taste, availability, price, etc. For example, pear halves and dried cherries may be harder to find and more expensive than other dried fruit.

.

COOKING

-> Chop larger fruit into pieces a little larger than a raisin. Peel the ginger. Zest and juice the lemon. (My zester is hard to use so I just grate the peel on my vintage flat grater).
-> Put all ingredients in a saucepan (2-3 quarts), except maybe not the pepper.
-> Bring to a boil and then, per Martha, "[r]educe to simmer, and cook until fruit is soft and liquid is thick, about 20 minutes."

After 20 minutes my fruit was soft but the liquid was still thin. I gave it another 10 minutes and then tried raising the heat to a gentle boil. After an hour had elapsed - and the liquid was not much thicker than the cider I started with - I took it off the stove. Fortunately, the liquid thickens and is mostly absorbed as the compote cools. I therefore conclude that it would be fine to simmer or gently boil for 20-30 minutes and not to care whether the liquid gets syrupy. If there's still too much liquid after the compote cools, drain some of it and toss or reduce, and the next time use less cider.

-> Remove pot from stove and remove the cinnamon stick and piece of ginger (cook's bonus if you like ginger). Stir in pepper flakes now if you didn't add them before.
-> Martha says "Serve hot, cold or at room temperature." I cooled my compote in the pot with the lid cocked a bit to release steam, then refrigerated it in a covered serving bowl. I took it out before the meal and served it at room temperature for dessert with almond paste macaroons and Phil's Baba's Passover Chocolate Chip Cookies (recipe to be posted).
Makes great leftovers. Also could be used over ice cream.
Prep: 10 mins. Cooking: 25 mins (Martha), ~65 mins (me). Optional cooling time: ~30 mins.

rjm 20170412

Apricot Bars

LIBBY'S APRICOT BARS

1.  A FEW HOURS BEFORE:  If your jam has been in the refrigerator, bring  to room temperature
      12 oz. jar of apricot jam
   Amount: Libby said 1 cup.  A 12 oz jar is much more than 1 cup.  My advice is to start with what you've got and use it as sparingly or as generously as you like.  I've made these bars with as little as 1 1/3 cup of jam and as much as almost an entire 18 oz jar.  Experiment!
   Kind:  Libby said  "cheaper is better."  I buy the supermarket's house brand.  Nobody seems to carry jam any more, only preserves. Because the pieces of fruit in preserves aren't spreadable, sometimes I pull them out beforehand. Other times I just use them as is.

2.  Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9 x 13 pan. 
I use glass except when I use two 8x8 vintage Wearever aluminum pans.  The advantage to using two 8" square pans is that you can serve one batch and freeze the other for another occasion.

3.  Melt and then set aside
     3/4 c. butter (1 1/2 sticks: yes, it's a lot of butter)
I use a pyrex measuring cup and microwave for about 90 seconds at power level 5 or 6.

4.  In a big bowl, stir together
     1 1/2 c. flour
     1 tsp baking powder
     1/4 tsp salt
     1 c. brown sugar, tightly packed
     1 1/2 c. quick oatmeal
           ("NOT instant," said Libby, probably because instant
           is cut too small and will get mushy.  I once used
           old-fashioned and it was fine, although some oatmeal
           pieces were rather chewy.)

5.  Moisten dry ingredients with
     THAT BUTTER

6.  Remove about 1/4 of oatmeal mixture to a separate bowl for topping.  Press rest of mixture into baking dish.

7.  Drop by soupspoons
     THAT JAM
onto the pressed oatmeal mixture and spread jam gently with the back of the spoon to cover without breaking the pressed oatmeal.

8.  Sprinkle over top
     THAT RESERVED MIXTURE

9. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Cool and cut into squares or bars.

***

This is a great finger dessert without nuts or chocolate.   It can be stored on the counter for a few days, or in the refrigerator or freezer if you want to make it ahead.  Serve at room temperature.

Possible but untried variations:  plum jam, raspberry jam.  Use non-dairy margarine or maybe Crisco, to make vegan/ parve/lactose-free.

rjm 4/23, 5/1/01; 12/31/07; 8/23, 11/20/14
font problems fixed 5/24/15