Fresh Citrus Compote Food

QUICK STRAWBERRY COMPOTE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Rinse the strawberries , pat them dry, and then hull the fruit . To do this, insert a knife at an angle under the leaf cap and then twist to cut out the leaves and white core underneath. Discard the tip and repeat the process with all the berries. Cut very large berries in half or quarters; leave smaller berries whole.
• Place the berries in a saucepan. Add the sugar and juice or water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the strawberries are all soft and just starting to fall apart and the liquid thickens, between 5 to 10 minutes.
• Taste, and add more sugar if necessary. The compote will thicken a little while it cools off, but if you think it's too thin, mix 1 tablespoon of water with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and add it to the saucepan. If using frozen fruit, you might need a little more cornstarch. Stir well and remove from heat.
• Let the compote cool off completely. Transfer to a clean pint jar and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

CITRUS COMPOTE

Steps:

• Peel the tangerines, oranges and grapefruit, segment and half segments, removing seeds and then combine in large bowl.
• Quarter lime and lemon and squeeze over fruit in bowl.
• If desired sprinkle sugar or splenda over fruit. Toss.
• Chill at least 1 hour before serving and garnish with coconut and almonds if desired.

CRANBERRY SPICE CAKE

Steps:

• For cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat bottom and sides of cake pan with nonstick spray. Line bottom with parchment paper; coat paper with spray. Whisk flour and next 5 ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. Pulse cranberries in a food processor until finely chopped but not puréed; set aside.
• Stir sugar, brown sugar, and oil in another medium bowl to blend. Add eggs one at a time, stirring to blend between additions. Whisk in sour cream, orange zest, lemon zest, and vanilla.
• Whisk in dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with cider in 2 additions and whisking to blend. Fold in chopped cranberries. Scrape batter into prepared pan; smooth top.
• Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a tester inserted into center of cake comes out almost clean,1 hour-1 hour 10 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cake cool in pan for 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around inside of pan to release cake; turn out cake onto rack. Peel off parchment paper, then flip cake and let cool for 20 minutes.
• For lemon glaze:
• Whisk powdered sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt in a small bowl. Spread glaze over warm cake, allowing it to drip down sides. Let stand until glaze becomes crackly, about 1 hour. Serve at room temperature. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
• Serve cake with Citrus-Cranberry Compote , if desired.

BLUEBERRY COMPOTE

Steps:

• Combine 1 cup of the blueberries, water, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the rest of the blueberries and cook for 8 minutes more, stirring frequently. Serve warm.

GRILLED ANGEL FOOD CAKE WITH CITRUS COMPOTE

Steps:

• For the Citrus Compote: Zest 1 grapefruit and set aside for the Grapefruit Whipped Cream. Cut off the top and bottom of an orange and place it on the counter flat side down. Cut the outer peel and pith off. Cut into chunks, removing as much pith as possible. Repeat with the remaining citrus fruits (including the zested grapefruit). Add the citrus chunks to a medium saucepot with 1/2 cup of water, the sugar and a handful of mint. Bring to low boil over medium heat and cook, occasionally stir gently making sure not to break up the fruit too much, until slightly syrupy and the sugar is dissolved, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, discard the mint and reserve, it will thicken slightly as it cools.
• For the Grapefruit Whipped Cream: Add the cream and zest to a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or a bowl with a hand mixer and whip on medium-high speed until peaks are medium-stiff. Refrigerate.
• For the Angel Food Cake: Preheat your outdoor grill to medium heat. Slice the angel food cake in half along the equator. Place each half on the grill and toast on both sides until grill marks appear, about 2 minutes per side.
• Place the bottom of the grilled angel food cake on a platter and spoon about half of the whipped cream over top. Use a slotted spoon to spoon some of the citrus compote over the whipped cream (don't use too much syrup or the whipped cream will be too runny). Place the top half of the cake on top (like a whipped cream sandwich). Spoon the other half of the whipped cream over top and spoon more of the citrus compote on. Garnish with mint leaves. Slice and serve like a layer cake.

FRESH CITRUS COMPOTE

Steps:

• For Syrup:
• Bring all ingredients to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Boil until liquid is reduced to 3/4 cup, about 25 minutes. Using small sharp knife, scrape vanilla seeds into syrup; return bean to syrup. Cool. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and store at room temperature.)
• For Fruit:
• Cut peel and white pith off oranges and grapefruit. Using small sharp knife, cut between membranes of oranges and grapefruit to release segments. Cut each kiwi into 8 wedges. Cut pineapple into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Drain fruit. Place in bowl. Discard vanilla bean and star anise from syrup. Pour syrup over fruit and stir to combine. Serve over frozen vanilla yogurt or ice cream.