Cinnamon, ginger and star anise are probably my most used spices at this time of year in both sweet and savoury dishes. They all add that hint of warmth that we all seem to crave from our food when it’s freezing cold outside. Now let’s be honest the weather had been rubbish in the UK over the past couple of weeks and there has been nothing better than finding comfort from the dull grey outside than eating some of the best seasonal food and spices.
Plums are very much in season at the moment and there are so many varieties out there. I tend to go for the regular Victoria plums because they’re easy to get hold of in the supermarkets and is what I’ve used in this recipe. As a soft fruit, they work brilliantly when slow cooked in the oven or on the hob, becoming all sweet and sticky.
- 12 plums (variety of your choice)
- 2-3 tbsps of Nativa or your prefered sweetener
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 star anise
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1-2 cups of water
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Wash and chop the plums into segments taking care to remove the stone.
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Place the prepared plums into a saucepan with all the other ingredients and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Once the fruit has softened, remove from the heat and allow to cool.
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Serve on yoghurt, porridge, toast or a topping for a special dessert.
Can be stored in the fridge or frozen.
Instead of the refined sugar that is traditionally used in compote recipes, I used a natural sweetener, but honey or maple syrup would also work just as well. The flavour combination of the ginger, cinnamon, star anise and seasonal plums just screams winter comfort to me and would be the perfect treat on a cold frosty morning or dare I say it, Christmas breakfast.
Not a fan of plums? Why not try some winter berries or apples that would also taste great with these warm spices. In fact, I think any seasonal fruit would work well in this recipe and with only 6 ingredients it couldn’t be any simpler to make.
I like mine served in a layered parfait dessert style like in the pictures along with Greek yoghurt and my Pecan Maple Cinnamon Granola. Treat this compote like a jam or chutney and there are so many ways to use it like a topping for your porridge, spread on toast, on top of ice cream or dessert, a sauce for duck or on your festive cheese boards.
This looks rather lush and very prefect for Christmas.
Thanks Bintu, yes it makes a lovely festive breakfast!
This sounds delicious. I love plums a lot so I will be trying this.
I hope you like it Stella!
This looks so Christmasy. I really don’t think that plums get enough love in blogging world, so I am very happy to see this.
Plums are so underrated! I love them and lovely to hear that I’m not on my own. 🙂
I bet a spoonful of this would be fantastic over a bowl of porridge. Yum!
YES! A spoonful or 2 Elizabeth…:-)
That would be an amazing alternative Christmas day dessert, I hate Christmas pudding, mince pies and Yule logs so this would be perfect.
Breakfast or dessert, it’s very adaptable and makes a lovely lighter option.
I love keeping a pot of compote in the fridge to add to porrridge and yoghurt. Makes such a healthy yet delicious sweet treat. And a beautiful colour too!
I agree, its nice to have something like this in the fridge to add some oomph to your desserts and breakfasts.
What a yummy holiday treat!! It looks too good to eat too LOL I also love that this won’t put too many pounds on as I try to lose weight. Thanks! BTW I really love your photography. It makes me want to lick the screen. Great blog as usual!
I’ve never tried a compote before but would be willing to make this and give it a try.
It’s so easy, I think you would love it!
Looks amazing! I wish we had plums available around here- the season for them here is super short which makes me sad because I love them!
Tha’;s such a shame, they’re much better when they are in season. You could try this with any fruit though. 🙂
Oh wow this looks amazing, those colours are just stunning. Perfect wintery warm colours. I am going to have to give this a go – it sounds delicious
I adore the colour too Jenni! I hope you enjoy it if you make it, do let me know!
Oh yes, those spices are just what we need. If you’ve only had a couple of weeks of bad weather, you’re doing well. It’s been dull and damp here of rat least 6 weeks. Love the colour of your compote and you’ve made it look quite beautiful and definitely festive.
Mmm..this looks amazing (such great photographs as well)
I love plums so I’ll have to try this sometime soon
X X
Looks delicious!
Plums are so underrated. When you get a good batch they are awesome. Though sometimes you can get some really disappointing ones – either tasteless or squadgie, but I guess that’s the same for most fruit anyway. This looks really tasty and healthy!