What could be tastier than a cool cherry compote on a hot summer day! It perfectly quenches thirst, while saturating the body with important vitamins. However, in the cold season, this drink is no less in demand. In the cold season, the body, as never before, needs to replenish the necessary level of beneficial compounds, and cherry compote copes with this task perfectly. We will tell about how it can be prepared at home, including for the winter, in our article.
What is useful compote?
Of course, the largest amount of vitamins and minerals important for the body is found in fresh cherries. But it is impossible to enjoy ripe and juicy berries picked directly from a tree all year round. Therefore, we have to deal with the harvesting of cherries for the winter. To do this, berries are frozen or boiled in compotes and jam. Such blanks can be a great alternative to fresh cherries.
Just as in the berries just picked from the tree, the compote contains vitamins A, B, C, E, PP, but in much smaller quantities. The chemical composition of this drink is also rich. It contains potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus and sodium. Refreshing cherry compote helps increase hemoglobin in the blood, therefore it is recommended for use by people suffering from anemia.
However, a drink can bring the body not only benefits, but also harm. Amygdalin is contained in the seeds of the cherry - a substance that decomposes over time with the formation of dangerous hydrocyanic acid. It is for this reason that cherry pits are toxic. It is especially dangerous to consume them in large quantities, as this can lead to severe poisoning of an adult. As for the cherry compote, you can preserve it for the winter with seeds. However, storing such a drink for more than 1 year is strongly discouraged.
How to cook cherry compote?
A traditional summer drink is great for quenching thirst in the hot season. It is recommended to serve it chilled, but before this, the compote must be properly insisted so that it incorporates all the aroma and taste of ripe berries.
Brew such a drink under the power of every housewife. The step-by-step preparation procedure is as follows:
- 3 l of cold purified water is poured into the pan.
- 200 g of sugar is added immediately.
- The water in the pan is brought to a boil.
- At this time, cherries (1 ½ tbsp.) Are carefully selected and washed in a colander under running water.
- Pure berries are added to boiling water with sugar .
- After boiling again, homemade cherry compote is cooked for three minutes.
- Before serving, the drink is infused in a pan under the lid for at least two hours, after which it is poured into a jug.
Frozen Berries Compote Recipe
If the fresh cherry season has come to an end, this does not mean that you have to wait until next summer to brew a healthy and tasty drink. From a frozen berry, an excellent, no less refreshing and tonic cherry compote is obtained. The recipe for its preparation is extremely simple:
- Cherries (500 g) are added to the pot with water (3 l). Pre-defrost them do not need.
- Sugar (250 g) is poured into a saucepan with cherries.
- Over medium heat, sweet water with berries is brought to a boil, after which the compote continues to boil for another 5 minutes.
- The pan with the finished drink is removed from the heat.
- Under the lid, the compote is left to cool completely. The finished drink is poured into a convenient dish and poured into portioned glasses.
Cherry compote in jars for the winter
This drink is one of the most delicious and fragrant preparations. The cherry compote rolled up for the winter right in the middle of the cold season allows you to enjoy the gifts of a sultry summer.
The recipe suggests the number of ingredients per one liter jar. Compote is prepared without sterilization by double pouring. Thanks to this simple method, cans with a drink are easily stored until the next harvest.
To harvest cherry compote for the winter you need the following recipe:
- To get 1 liter of drink you need 800 ml of water. It is poured into a pan and brought to a boil.
- At this very time, cherries (250 g) are carefully sorted out, cleaned of twigs, leaves and washed in a colander.
- Prepared cherries are poured to the bottom of the can and poured with boiling water, not reaching the edge of 1 cm.
- Banks are covered with lids and left in this form for 5 minutes. During this time, the water is slightly colored and acquires a pleasant pink tint.
- The liquid from the cans is drained back into the pan, and the berries remain in their original place.
- 200 g of sugar is added to the pot with infusion. The water is again brought to a boil.
- Cherry is poured with boiling compote, not reaching the edge of a 2 cm jar.
- A hot drink is rolled up, turned over and wrapped up in the morning.
Stoned berry compote for the winter
The drink prepared according to the following recipe is so saturated that it can easily be used as the basis for homemade jelly and other desserts. In addition, hydrocyanic acid does not exactly form in pitted cherry compote, which means that it can be stored for more than one year, but more if such a need arises.
The drink is prepared step by step in the following sequence:
- Bones are extracted from berries (350 g) in any convenient way, after which the cherry is folded into a sterilized liter jar and poured with boiling water to the very edge of the container.
- The jar is covered for 10 minutes, so that the compote is properly infused.
- After a while, the infusion from the can is poured back into the pan and brought to a boil.
- 120 g of sugar is poured on top of the cherry.
- The berries are poured with infusion and immediately rolled up with a can key.
Apple and berry compote
This drink has a rich cherry color and a pleasant apple aftertaste. For the winter, compote is recommended to be harvested in jars with a volume of at least three liters. At the same time, fruit and berry filling is ¼ of the volume of the container.
When cooking homemade apple and cherry compote, the following sequence of actions must be observed:
- A glass of cherries is poured into a bowl of water and washed thoroughly while removing twigs and leaves.
- Apples are washed and cut into 6-8 parts. The core is cut with a knife.
- Apples and cherries are placed in a prepared, sterilized jar.
- The contents of the glass container is poured with boiling water. Water will need approximately 2.7 liters, depending on how much fruit was used for the compote.
- The jar is covered for 20 minutes.
- After a while, the water is drained back and again brought to a boiling point.
- A glass of sugar is poured into a jar of berries and apples, poured with hot water and rolled up.
Stewed blackcurrant and cherry for the winter
A rich berry drink can be prepared according to the following recipe. It turns out bright due to cherries and black currants, sweet thanks to sugar and with a pleasant refreshing aftertaste, which is explained by the presence of natural acid in the berries. Such a drink is prepared by the double filling method presented above.
For cherry compote with blackcurrant, it is necessary to prepare a glass jar (3 l) in advance, sterilizing the container in any convenient way. While the water is being heated for the first pouring, 500 g of cherries and 100 g of currants are poured into it. Then the compote is infused for 15 minutes under the lid. After that, the water is drained, and sugar is added to the jar. After refilling, the drink rolls back for the winter.
How to make wine from compote?
According to the following recipe, you can make a light alcoholic drink from a slightly fermented cherry compote. The wine turns out to be very tasty, despite the fact that for many such a basis for it may seem dubious.
To make a drink, pour fruit-free compote into a clean three-liter jar. Next, add 300 g of sugar and raisins in the amount of 7 pieces. Now you should put a water shutter, the role of which in this case is played by a rubber glove.
In this form, the drink in the jar should stand in a warm place for 3-4 weeks. During this time, the fermentation process will end and the wine will be ready. Then it is bottled and cleaned in a dark place for another 2 months. After that, it will be possible to take the first sample.