Polish Compote Recipe – Homemade Fruit Drink

Since the holiday season is just around the corner, it’s always a good idea to learn a new recipe for family and guests. If you belong to a Polish background, you must be familiar with the Polish compote made of dried fruit. 

Even if you’re not Polish, a dried fruit compote is something you might’ve tasted at some point in life and fell in love with it. Although this food recipe looks tricky and complicated to make, in reality, it is quite easy! A few ingredients and some basic skills – that’s all you need to make a Polish dried fruit compote at home. 

So, if you want to learn how to make this interesting food recipe, stay with us till the end. 

What Is a Compote (Kompot)? 

A compote (kompot) is a non-alcoholic traditional drink in many countries like Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, etc. It is a sweet liquid made of different fruits like strawberries, rhubarbs, plums, and even apples. 

Additional sweeteners and spices are included in the drink to enhance the flavor. Without additional sweeteners, a single serving of compote has less than 200 calories. This compote is usually served as a hot or cold drink, depending on the ongoing season. 

During the winter months, i.e., during traditional Christmas Eve, a compote (kompot) is served as a warm drink. During the hotter summer months, it is served a cool drink. This is definitely one of the unique dessert recipes you can find out there.

Polish Dried Fruit Compote Recipe 

A Polish dried fruit compote is a staple Christmas drink in every Polish household. Even non-Polish households love making this recipe because of how delicious it is. According to nutrition information, a single serving of a compote dessert contains 170 calories. 

You don’t need to be an expert cook to make this drink. With a handful of ingredients, you can make this recipe in 15-20 minutes. 

Let’s have a quick look at the ingredients you might need for this drink: 

Ingredients

The principal ingredient for the recipe is a bunch of prunes. Of course, you can add a ton of other dried fruits and berries, but prunes are an essential ingredient on the list. Here’s a full list of the ingredients for this tasty recipe:

How to Make Compote with Dried Fruits?

Now that you have a clear idea about all the ingredients, let’s jump to the recipe:

Step 1: Prepare the Dried Fruits

Pick the dried fruits according to your requirement and wash them thoroughly. You can slice the fruits and then get ready to cook them. Place the sliced fruits in a container with 2 liters of chilled water and soak the fruits in the water overnight. Soaking them for 8-12 hours is the key to a rich compote. 

Step 2: Place the Dried Fruits in a Large Pot

Transfer the soaked fruits into a large pot and add more water and the necessary spices like cinnamon, cloves, etc. Do not add the orange peel or lemon juice at this step. You can add sugar if you want the drink to be sweeter. Besides, if you’re using sour fruits, additional sugar can bring a balance in flavors. 

Step 3: Heat the Dried Fruits

Cover the pot and heat the fruits until they are fully boiled. Keep the heat to a medium level during this step until you notice boiling water.

Step 4: Simmer the Drink

Once the fruits have been boiled, reduce the heat. Then proceed to simmer the drink for 10-15 minutes. Add the lemon juice at the last step of the process once the simmer is done. Stir for 2-3 minutes, and it’s ready! 

Step 5: Serve Warm or Refrigerate It

If you want to enjoy it hot, serve it instantly and if you want it chilled, keep it in the refrigerator for a good 1 hour. 

Dried Fruits That You Can Use

If beverage cuisine is your specialty, a Polish dried fruit compote can be the best drink you can make at home. Since there are lots of fruit options for making this drink, many people can get confused about which fruit would work for a drink like this. 

Although there are many options, if you want the traditional style, we recommend going for prunes. Prunes are the best fruits for making a tasty compote. They bear a strong and rich flavor, which enhances the taste of the drink.  

We also recommend going for fruits like strawberries, raspberries, pears, apples, peaches, and different kinds of berries. These fruits are already very sweetened, which is why you can totally skip using additional sugar. If you’re going for sour fruits, some amount of sugar might be required.

Apricots and cherries are also interesting fruit choices for the drink. With some aromatic spices and some lemon juice, your compote would make everyone on the table cheery and happy. 

How to Serve a Compote?

If you want to skip wine this Christmas Eve, a Polish dried fruit compote might be an excellent choice. Especially if you have all the traditional dishes of Poland on the table, something interesting like a compote can change the entire ambiance.  

You can serve a compote in many ways. A warm cup of compote can be served with some of the fruits on the side. You can serve a cold glass of liquid compote decorated with fresh fruit bits on the top. Besides, you can also eat toast, granola, or yogurt with this drink. 

Starting your winter morning with a breakfast like this can be very delightful. You can also serve this dried fruit drink with some of the other Polish desserts. A table of Polish recipes during holiday celebrations will not only look aesthetically pleasing but will also taste luscious. 

Final Words

To wrap up the article, it can be said that a Polish compote is a fine traditional delicacy. A dried fruit compote tastes sweet, rich, and takes no time to prepare. With common fruits and a hint of spice, anyone can prepare this delicious traditional drink at home.