Dried Fruit Fandango

Loyal readers are no doubt waiting expectantly for the awesome fruit compote recipe promised in Oat Cuisine. I would happily credit the original author if that information were not obscured by the mists of time. The recipe is on yellowing curly paper and looks like it was produced on a dot matrix printer, putting its origin at around, oh, 1988. Edinburgh, probably. For some reason, the author is quite insistent that the one pound of dried fruit should include exactly twelve prunes: no more, no less. I have no idea why. Just one more mystery lost to the ages, I guess. As for the tea you should use, that depends on the occasion. I like jasmine if the compote is going to be eaten with yogurt and breakfast oats, or Earl Grey if I'm going to serve it for dessert with ginger ice cream. Same applies to the final flavouring. Go wild.

Without further ado, here is how to make Tea and Fruit Compote. You will require:

• 1 lb. dried fruit (including the aforementioned 12 prunes)
• two and a half pints of weak-ish, very hot tea (maybe 2 teabags or a heaping tbsp of loose tea)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp of soft brown sugar, if you like things sweet (I do)
• 1 tbsp (or so) of optional flavour like orange flower water, rosewater, Cointreau, or Amaretto

Plop the fruit in a large bowl and pour the tea over it. Let it soak for 24 hours. Pour the whole lot into a big saucepan and add the lemon juice (and the sugar, if you are using it). Cover the pan and simmer for about 20 minutes. The environs will be filled with delectable aromas. During the last few minutes, add any flavouring that strikes your fancy. Serve it at room temperature over ice cream (if the compote is really warm, the fruit is too mushy to be texturally delightful) or chilled for breakfast. Feeds 6 to 8.

The dried fruit before plumpification. This is a fantastic organic mix
from my favorite New Jersey nut shop:

it includes prunes, two kinds of apricots, pears, apples,
peaches, and nectarines. I added dried Rainier cherries
because they are my favorite thing on the planet.

The finished fruit compote. It has a rich dark flavor that is perfect for Fall.
Did I mention it is gluten-free? Huzzah!