Compote is a favorite drink of many people since childhood. For some, it is associated with trips to relatives - well, whose grandmother didn’t cook a delicious apple or cherries compote for her beloved granddaughter or granddaughter? Many are accustomed to making this drink from fruits and berries that they have personally grown in their summer cottage, while some prefer to combine both fresh and dried fruits in it. An example of such a sweet drink is a compote of apples and dried apricots, beloved by many for its unique and inimitable taste.
We begin to cook compote from apples. The recipe is quite simple. But the most important thing is that in many cases you can experiment with this sweet drink without fear of spoiling the final product. Add dried fruits or rosehip berries to apple compote - the recipe becomes different, and the drink acquires new colors and noticeably changes the taste.
The main thing to remember is that when cooking compote you should not be afraid to fantasize. For example, if you know that your family loves not only apples, but also strawberries or black currants, you can add a small amount of your favorite berries to the compote. People close and dear to you will enjoy a tasty and healthy drink from their favorite berries and fruits.
It is best to cook compote from fresh apples, as they contain a number of vitamins necessary for the body (pantothenic acid, folic acid, biotin, vitamins A, C, B1, B2 and B6) and trace elements (sulfur, sodium, magnesium, copper, potassium, phosphorus and, of course, iron).
To make a compote of apples, we will take a classic recipe for starters. Well-washed apples should be peeled and sepals and stalks removed. Then the apples should be cut into four, six or eight parts and core removed. You can also divide each apple in half, cut the core, and then cut them into thin circles. After that, the apples must be immersed in cold water, after adding a little vinegar (a teaspoon for each liter of water) or citric acid (five grams for the same amount of water). This is done so that the apples do not darken in the air. After all the fruits are sliced, put a pot of water (you need to take a pound of fruit per one liter of water) and apples on a fire and, as soon as the water begins to boil, add sugar to it (at the rate of one glass of sugar per volume of water from two to four liters) depending on your taste.
After the compote boils again, mix and keep it on low heat for another half minute. Then the pan must be removed from the hot stove, cover the compote with a tight lid and let it brew for half an hour. After that, it can be poured into another container and cooled. Chilled apple compote is incredibly tasty and aromatic.
If you move a little away from the “classic” recipe, then the taste of apple compote can be changed radically or, at least, expand its palatability by a few “fruit and berry octaves” with the help of both fresh products and dried fruits. Thus, the drink will no longer bear the common name "apple compote", the recipe of which you got from distant ancestors. You can invent your own drink, which will be much healthier and tastier than juices and drinks that can be found on the shelves of grocery stores.
Do not forget that apple compote can be used as a vitamin remedy for a number of diseases. For example, its medicinal properties are used for atherosclerosis, diseases of the kidneys, liver and bladder. But it is also necessary to remember that with exacerbation of pancreatitis, gastritis or peptic ulcer, compote from apples is contraindicated.
In general, apple compote is ideally suited for replenishing the body's reserves with a large amount of nutrients and vitamins.