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simple pear compote in a beautiful bowl (what to do with overripe pears)
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4.89 from 9 votes

The Simplest Fruit Compote (What to Do with Overripe Pears, Peaches, Plums & More)

This fruit compote recipe is a super-simple way to extend the life of your overabundance of ripe fruit. You can scale this recipe up or down depending on how much fruit you have, and you can sweeten it according to your own taste.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Fruit Desserts
Cuisine: American
Calories: 61kcal
Author: Carolyn Gratzer Cope

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds 1(815 grams) overripe pears, peaches, plums, berries, or cherries
  • ¼ cup (50 grams) sugar

Instructions

  • Core or pit and dice the good parts of the fruit (or leave whole if you're working with berries, halve if cherries, etc.)
  • Place the diced fruit into a medium pot and gently stir together with the sugar.
  • Heat the mixture over medium heat until the fruit has softened and released some of its juices and the sugar has dissolved, about 5 to 10 minutes.
  • Serve by itself, or over yogurt, ice cream, pancakes, waffles, you name it (but for once, probably not a fried egg).

Notes

  1. I've pictured four pounds of overripe pears, weighed before prepping. You can use this method with a wide variety of fruits.
  2. For every pound of fruit, I like to use about a tablespoon of sugar. Overripe fruit tends to be quite sweet on its own, so this small amount just coaxes out the natural flavor and adds a bit of gloss to the mix. You can vary the amount of sugar according to your own preferences.
  3. This technique works with most fruits. I tend to think of it in the summer months when we've got a wild abundance, but you can use it any time of year. In addition to pears, peaches, and plums, it works with apples, figs, apricots, strawberries, cherries, mango, pineapple, and more.
  4. I think of this compote more as an extender than a true preserving technique. Once cooled, it will keep well in an airtight container in a nice, cold fridge for about a week.
    5. I first published this recipe here, adapted from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters, back in 2008. I've updated the post for clarity, but the recipe remains the same.
Nutritional information for this recipe is calculated for a half cup of compote.

Nutrition

Calories: 61kcal | Carbohydrates: 15.2g | Protein: 1.1g | Fat: 0.3g | Fiber: 1.7g