Russet Apple Compote

  • Prep time:

  • Cook time:

  • Total time:

  • Portion/Yield:

    Makes approximately 2 x 250g jars of Russet Apple Compote

  • Difficulty:

    Easy

Russet apples are a naturally highly scented apple with a slight leathery skin. The scent of the russet reminds me of toasted hazelnuts. We love russet apples not only for their look but also their naturally sweet flavour.

The Victorians liked to use the russets in their paintings because they look rustic and add atmosphere. Unfortunately the high street supermarkets do not like to stock this group of apples, as they are perceived as being ugly. That is slowly changing as we have more regular farmers markets popping up everywhere selling food for taste and flavour rather than it’s looks.

Ross has a special love for apples and has always dreamed of living on a plot of land big enough to have his own English apple orchard. Unfortunately our garden is not big enough for a orchard but as a consolation  we discovered  Brogdale Farm which is the home of the National Fruit collection. You can visit this farm and learn all about the different types of russets and see how beautiful they are. Brogdale Horticultural Trust is home to over 2300 different varieties of apples along with many other fruit and nut trees.

This Russet Apple Compote recipe is not too sweet and could be used for very many eating occasions. Serve as an accompaniment with honey roast gammon or use a as a filling for homemade doughnuts or profiteroles.

Ingredients & Method

  • 500g russet apples, peeled and core removed
  • 50g honey
  • 50ml fresh apple juice or cold water
  • 50g unsalted butter
  • 1 vanilla pod seeds scraped (optional)

Conventional Method

Peel the apples and remove the core, cut the apples in small pieces. Heat a medium saucepan with half the butter. Once the butter starts to bubble, add the apples, honey and vanilla seeds. Stir and cook for two minutes. Add the fresh apple juice, turn the heat down to a gentle simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes, stir occasionally. Remove the saucepan from the heat, dice the rest of the cold butter into the saucepan and stir until dissolved.

Scoop the soft apples into a food processor and blend until smooth. Spoon the Russet Apple Compote into clean sterilised jars, cool and keep refrigerated until needed.

 

Thermomix Method
Weigh the apples, honey, vanilla seeds and apple juice directly in to the thermomix bowl.  Set the timer for 12 minutes and the temperature to 100°C on speed one. On completion add the butter; turn to speed 10 for 1 minute. Decant the russet apple compote in to a clean sterilised container and chill until needed.

 

Cooks Notes
You can replace the russet apples with any variety of your choice; I recommend that you should taste the apples, as russet apples are naturally very sweet I have only used honey and no added sugar. Taste your chosen apples; if they are very sharp consider adding either extra honey or caster sugar.