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A compote is simply a sauce usually made with fruit, sugar, and cooked on the stove. This recipe is E-A-S-Y. But you’ll end up looking super fancy when you top your pancakes with it:

Or use it to top a simple dessert, like this yogurt cake.

There’s wide variety of uses for this compote, so give it a try. Works well on blueberries that seem to be a bit too dry to eat fresh, so it’s great if you feel bad wasting food just because of how it looks. You can also mix it up: use blackberries, strawberries (diced), raspberries.. just omit the lemon zest.

• 1 container (6 ounces) fresh blueberries
• 1/4 cup water, plus one (1) tablespoon, divided
• 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of grated lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch

1. Rinse berries and check for stems. Combine blueberries and sugar in a small bowl, mix to coat the berries.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar-coated berries and water. Stir often – the blueberries will release their juice and the mixture will start to become more liquid. Bring to a slight boil – about 3 to 5 minutes.
3. While the blueberries are heating: in small bowl, (I use the same sugar bowl as the berries, that’s fine), mix the remaining tablespoon of water with a 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch until the cornstarch is dissolved and no longer lumpy. Add a tiny bit more water if needed to smooth it out. Add to the blueberries, stirring and continuing to simmer.
4. Add the grated lemon zest to the compote and continue cooking and stirring for about 2 more minutes, or until slightly thickened.
5. Use the compote immediately, if you’d like to enjoy it warm (like on pancakes). Set aside to cool, if you prefer to use on ice cream or cake. The compote will thicken slightly more when chilled.

Enjoy!