Steamed treats can surprise you ! Let them ! Despite the bad rep of “healthy” foods, taste wise, steaming is brilliant. It’s all the more striking with fruit, which preserves an incredible amount of natural taste and texture after cooking.

What it does to your fruit is cooking it without destroying their taste and color. By keeping the fruit’s taste strong, it makes sure you don’t need as much sweetener to get a great result. It is your healthier option fruit compote, therefore I don’t feel the need to get sugar substitutes or “fake sugar”.

Try this steamed cranberry apple compote for the holidays! It is very light on sugar and full of taste and nutrition. You will love it with turkey, or on the side with apple pie, especially if you can’t eat or are too “stuffed” – pun intended – to have ice cream too.

Compote is neither Jam nor spread

Fruit compote are neither fruit spreads nor jams. Fruit spreads usually are made with over 55% sugar. Jams are much sweeter ! growing up I always thought jams were made of 50% sugar, I didn’t know there was more sugar content out there. The ones you buy are made of at least 55% sugars!

To make a fresh compote or sauce, which is what I made here really, you only need 10% sugar. In the case of very bitter fruit like cranberries, it may be a little more. See below pictures of my Raspberry Rhubarb compote. You can find the recipe in article about steamed Fruit Spreads !

 

Compote is more fresh and doesnt keep long

To be honest I make fruit compote that doesn’t last long. Therefore, I make it in very small quantity. I like my fruit as fresh as I can. I keep them up to 2 weeks in the fridge. We eat it with our overnight granola, on the side of an apple pie or tarte. I did freeze one or two jars once, but haven’t tried eating them after freezing. 

My fruit compotes are made of three or four ingredients only. Fresh fruit ( usually one or two), natural sweetener like brown sugar or coconut sugar, fresh lemon juice. Their consistency is creamy and soft, very easy to spread, but not very thick. I don’t add any natural pectin. The only natural flavor is the one of the steamed fresh fruit and lemon.

As the seasons flow, I try different combinations with what I find in the store. These days, I am trying a few fall and winter spread combinations when I find time. So as thanksgiving is approaching, I had to try cranberry apple sauce! And to show you how easy steamed fruit spreads are to make, I had success on first try. It’s not easy to make small kids love bitter cranberry. I was surprised they actually liked it so much. We ate it along with a classic French apple pie.

How do I get such spreadable consistency with cranberries? 

Steps I follow to make it

Of course, I prepare the steam cooker first by filling up the tank and heating up the steam cooker on high heat until it steams abundantly.

Second, I steam cranberries 5 minutes directly on the steam basket, so they lose some of their juice and bitterness. I remove and transfer to a stainless steel bowl and set aside.

Third, I steam add the pealed and cut apples quarters, which don’t lose much water through cooking.

Then I cook both fruits together 5 extra minutes with sugar in a stainless steel bowl in my steam cooker. 

Finally, I grab my immersion blender and blend all together, taste, adjust sugar content if needed, and add two tablespoon of lemon juice. I don’t need to replace the water content; meanwhile the fruit preserves its fiber and nutrients, a perfect thickness level, and gains a touch of sweetness. This is as healthy as a fruit compote can remain, while being truly tasty and feeling like a treat!

Let cool at room temperature. Once cool, refrigerate up to 10 days ( less once opened).

If I want to keep a jar longer ( as in a few weeks), I previously steam the jar and lid upside down in the clean steamer for 10 minutes. Then once the compote is ready, I fill the jar with the compote, close the lid firmly, and steam 5 extra minutes upside down so it seals. I have been keeping some sauce a few weeks this way in the fridge.

Naturally, this is something I do at my own risk , and you only should do at your own risk.

Ingredients:

• Fresh cranberry ;
• Equal weight of fresh apple gala or fuji apples, peeled and cut in quarters;
• Organic granulated sugar – 10% sugar + 1 tbsp ( I had 550 g of fruit, I used 55 g of sugar and a little less than 2 tbsp ( total of 80g). Cranberries are a bit more bitter, I added a bit of sugar as I was blending.
• 1 tbsp lemon juice.

Equipment you need;

• The Vitaliseur steam cooker
• An immersion blender
• Clean jars 

Interested to use your steam cooker for a sweet treat?

Try this recipe or my raspberry rhubarb spread!

Need more treats ? Chocolate & Olive Oil Almond Cake, Lemon and Olive oil almond cake Chocolate Hazelnuts Einkorn Steamed Bites !

Ready for Christmas time recipe? For before Christmas, bring some of A German Traditional Christmas Treat: Nürnberger Elisen Lebkuchen to your cookie swap ! You will amaze your friends ! As for the Three kings, they might take a bite themselves of your Einkorn-Kings-Cake !

Bon appétit!