Andrew Scrivani for The New York TimesFruit compotes make great compromise desserts; they’re sweet, but not as sweet as sorbets, and like sorbets they don’t require flour, butter or pastry skills. I didn’t develop any kind of knack for pastry until I began collaborating with pastry chefs on their cookbooks, but for years I managed to round out my dinner parties with fruit-based desserts (though the children of my friend Clifford Wright used to roll their eyes when I brought dessert – “She doesn’t bring dessert, she brings fruit,” they’d say).
I revisited some of those desserts this week, particularly various fruits poached in wine, and I still find them delightful. I find that I’m sometimes negligent about eating fruit in the colder months, but not when I have some wine-poached pears, bananas or prunes in the refrigerator. I am as likely to stir the fruit, with its luscious syrup, into my morning yogurt as to eat it for dessert, and the compotes are good keepers.
Early spring is an in-between time for fruit. Stone fruits aren’t ready yet and it’s not really apple, pear or citrus season either, though all of those fall-winter fruits are still available. I poached pears in red wine and bananas in white wine, and used dried fruits for two of my compotes, prunes poached in red wine and a dried-fruit compote to which I also added a fresh apple and pear. For the last compote of the week I combined blood oranges and pink grapefruit in a refreshing citrus-caramel syrup, and topped the fruit with pomegranate seeds. Even if my friend’s kids wouldn’t agree, this was definitely dessert.
Prunes Poached in Red Wine: Reducing the soaking time in this French bistro classic saves flavor.
Bananas Poached in Vanilla-Scented Chardonnay: Don’t overcook the bananas in this easy dish, and you’ll be rewarded with a fragrant, delicious dessert.
Pears Poached in Red Wine and Cassis: A classic French dessert with liqueur that adds a deep berry essence.
Dried Fruit Compote With Fresh Apple and Pear: An alcohol-free compote with a variety of dried fruit and a bright flavor.
Blood-Orange, Ruby-Red Grapefruit and Pomegranate Compote: A refreshing dessert that keeps well for a few days.
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