Apple Compote with Cinnamon
Apples cooked slowly in a light syrup with cinnamon until the pieces are tender and perfumed. The plain, honest dessert, good on its own, with yogurt or as a side to pancakes and toast.
This is not applesauce. The difference is the texture: here the pieces stay whole. It is not mashed and not blended, and it is not stirred while it cooks — that alone is enough to break it down and turn it into a purée. As a side it goes well with apple pie or with rice pudding.
Ingredients
- 3 medium apples
- 300 ml water
- 150 g sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
Method
- 1
Put the water and the sugar in a pan.
- 2
Bring to the boil over medium heat so the sugar dissolves completely.
- 3
Cook for a couple of minutes, until you have a very light syrup.
- 4
Wash, peel and cut the apples into even pieces.
- 5
Add them to the syrup.
- 6
Add the cinnamon stick, cover and turn the heat down.
- 7
Cook gently for 30 minutes. The pieces should soften but keep their shape: do not stir while it cooks, or they fall apart and you end up with a purée.
- 8
Take it off the heat and serve warm.