Blueberry Compôte (Blueberry Sauce)

Compôte (meaning mixture in French) is a dessert originating from medieval Europe, made of whole or pieces of fruit in sugar syrup. This quick and easy Blueberry Compôte with a hint of lemon is the perfect topping to stir into yogurt, drizzle on top of pancakes, or spooned onto ice cream. All you need are a few ingredients and less than 15 minutes to make this delicious blueberry sauce.

1 lb fresh blueberry (454 g)
1 lemon, freshly zested
2 Tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed (from about 1 lemon)
3-4 Tbsp. granulated sugar (34-45 g)
1 pinch kosher salt

Wash and dry the blueberries.

Add blueberries, sugar, salt, lemon zest and lemon juice in a medium sauce pan and cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes until blueberries are wilted and soft.

For a thick Compôte:
Remove blueberries with a slotted spoon and cook the liquid for 2-3 more minutes until reduced in half and thickened.

Add blueberries back into the pot and stir to combine.

Remove from heat and transfer to a jar. As the Compôte cool, it will thicken almost to pie filling consistency.

To get Pourable Compôte:
Continue cooking without removing the blueberries for the next 2-3 minutes, reduce the heat slightly so the mixture doesn't boil over.

Remove from heat and transfer to a jar. As the Compôte cool, it will continue to thicken but will still be slightly thinner and pourable.

This recipe yields about 1 cup of thick Compôte or 1½ cup of the thinner one.

Cook's Notes:
-Frozen blueberries can be used instead of fresh blueberries.
-Increase cooking time if using frozen berries since they will release extra liquid.
-Adjust the amount of sugar to your taste if the lemon juice is too tart or the berries are not sweet enough.