Dessert Drinks: Vzvar & Compote

Compotes based on sugar and honey syrups are traditionally served at the end of the Russian feast. Compote is as old as, for example, Russian kvass or Russian honey

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Compotes based on sugar and honey syrups are traditionally served at the end of the Russian feast. Compote is as old as, for example, Russian kvass or Russian honey. The technology of making one of the most favourite drinks in Russia is very simple: selected, rinsed and sliced (usually into segments) fruits are put in hot syrup – not all together, but according to the cooking time. It is not recommended to boil fruit for a long time. The matter is that frozen fruit is cooked a little less than fresh, while berries do not need to be boiled at all, you can just pour boiling syrup in them and leave them under a lid for some time.
Vzvar is a variety of compote made of dried or fresh fruits which is less rich and concentrated. A simple vzvar is, as a rule, made of one kind of berry or fruit (with or without raisins) while a combined vzvar is made of a mix of dried fruits (apples, pears, cherries, raspberries, raisins, prunes and so on). Vzvar can be taken chilled or hot.

Quince Vzvar
Rinse and core 1kg of ripe quince, and slice them into thin segments. Boil 3 litres of water with ground cinnamon and cloves, add the quince segments, and cook until soft. Leave the vzvar to rest until completely chilled, add 5 table spoons of honey and mix thoroughly until the honey is completely dissolved. Put the vzvar in a cold place for 4-5 hours. Drink cooled.

Apricot Compote
Boil syrup from 1 cup of sugar and 1 litre of water, and add 1/2kg of halved and cored apricots. Bring to boil and cook until the apricots are soft. Leave under lid to rest. Drink the compote cooled or hot.

Orange Compote
Peel 1/2 kg oranges, slice them into circles, core, and put in a deep dish. Boil 1 litre of water with 1 cup of sugar and pour this syrup over the orange slices. Leave to rest. Drink the compote very cold.

Water Melon Compote
Take the pulp of a large, but not overripe water-melon, core and cube it. Divide into two parts: put one in a deep dish and sprinkle it with sugar; squeeze the other and put the juice in a fridge. Boil syrup from 1 cup of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla sugar and 1 litre of water, add the water-melon cubes, bring to boil and take off the heat. Leave to rest for 2 hours, add the water-melon juice, and chill in the fridge.

Grape Compote With Honey
Boil 2 litres of water with about 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and cloves, add 1/2kg of rinsed and prepared grapes. Cook at low heat, so that the berries do not lose shape. Leave to rest for 2 hours, add 4 tablespoons of flower honey and stir carefully until the honey is completely dissolved (you can dissolve honey in a separate dish and add it to the compote). Serve the compote chilled and decorated with grapes.

Cherry Compote
Boil syrup from 1 cup of sugar and 1 litre of water. Rinse 1/2kg of good cherries, add the boiled syrup, lemon acid and ground cinnamon to taste, bring to boil. Leave to rest under a lid and chill down. Serve the compote chilled with cherries.

Pear Compote
Boil syrup from 1 cup of sugar and 1 litre of water, add 1/2kg of peeled, not too ripe, pears cut into quarters. As soon as the pears become soft, put them in a porcelain cup, boil down the syrup, add juice of 1 lemon, and pour it all into the boiled pears. Leave to rest for 1.5 hours. Drink the compote cooled.

Wild Strawberry Compote
Boil syrup from 1 cup of sugar and 1 litre of water, pour it over 1/2kg of prepared wild strawberries, and leave to rest 1.5-2 hours. Add lemon acid and cinnamon to taste. You can follow the same procedure to make a compote

Dried Apricot And Raisin Compote
Rinse 1 cup of cored dried apricots and 1 cup of cored raisins in cold water, scald them and put in a colander. Boil syrup from 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 litre of water, put the dried apricots in the slowly boiling syrup, add the raisins 5 minutes later, boil 3 to 5 minutes more. Chill down, add honey and lemon juice to taste, leave to rest 2 to 3 hours, drink the compote hot or cold.

Strawberry Vzvar
Take 1kg of good strawberries, remove fruit stems, scald and drain. Press the strawberries, 5 tablespoons of flower honey and a spoon of lemon syrup through a sieve, and add 2.5 litres of boiling water. Stir thoroughly until completely dissolved. Put in a cold place under lid for 3-4 hours. Drink cooled.

Gooseberry Compote
Rinse 1/2kg of good gooseberries, add boiling water and drain in a colander. Boil syrup from sugar and 1 litre of water, add berries, bring to boil, and cook 2 to 3 minutes at low heat. Leave to rest. Drink chilled.

Bon appetite!