Summer Fruit Compote

This compote treats each fruit with respect. Plums, boysenberries, raspberries, orange and grapefruit sections, and green grapes each get poached separately in a maple syrup bath for just long enough to warm through without falling apart. The timing varies: 30 seconds for the plums, 15 seconds for the berries, a full minute for the citrus.

After the fruit comes out, wine (plum wine is ideal) gets stirred into the remaining syrup and simmered for two minutes. That maple-wine sauce, cooled and spooned over the poached fruit, ties the whole bowl together with a sophisticated sweetness that’s not cloying.

Fresh mint scattered on top adds a cool, herbal contrast that wakes up every spoonful. Serve it on its own for a light finish or alongside vanilla ice cream for something more substantial.

Kitchen Tips

• Poach each fruit separately so you can control the timing; berries turn to mush in seconds
• Keep the syrup at a low simmer, not a rolling boil, to preserve the fruit’s shape
• Let the wine syrup cool before spooning over the fruit so it doesn’t cook the berries further
• Use the ripest summer fruit you can find; the brief poaching enhances flavor but can’t fix underripe fruit

Variations

• Swap plum wine for rosé or a sweet Riesling
• Add fresh peach slices or nectarines to the poaching lineup
• Replace maple syrup with honey for a lighter, more floral sweetness