Fruit compote with toasted oats: the healthiest and the most seasonal breakfast recipe, prepared ahead in thirty minutes to enjoy in a long string of summer mornings.
What is fruit compote?
I call my recipe ‘fruit compote’ but it most probably is a completely wrong term, technically. ‘Compote’ is by definition fruit simmered in sugar syrup, so nothing applies to my product: fruit baked with barely any sugar and no water. Can I still call it ‘compote’ for short please?
This makes use of any seasonal fruit you have at home and it’s looking a little less appetising: maybe you have been to Pick Your Own or got a bargain at the local market.
Obviously, you can use sparkling fresh fruit at peak season but this recipe is ideal for fruit a little too ripe and tired. I agree with those who don’t approve of cooking fruit when it can be eaten raw, with the goodness, the vitamins and all.
Memories of school dinners
Good news for those who fondly remember rice or milk pudding served with stewed fruit albeit the fruit in this instance is barely baked.
Also, I actually like the taste of lightly cooked fruit and I don’t think I’m the only one. Not many nutrients are destroyed in the relatively short cooking process, and you inject extra vitamin C at the end by squeezing in lemon juice.
The fruit on its own might be enough for breakfast, with a dollop of yoghurt or cottage cheese for extra protein, but a simple granola will lend it substance.
I add raw oats to my fruit bowl when I run out of the crunchy ones but it’s mega easy to toast a batch every now and then and keep it in a tub. Very little sugar, a lot of crunch and juicy fruit – what better for the start of the day?
What fruit can I use?
You can use any seasonal fruit here but the best results are with summer berries and stone fruit.
Go for strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, multi-coloured currants as well as lesser known berries that can be picked at PYO farms, like logan, tay or boysen which all sound like characters from Succession.
Then come cherries, apricots and plums, with peaches and nectarines joining the force.
How to prepare the fruit compote
Once they’re cleaned, topped, stoned or whatever is required, with larger ones halved or chopped, all that needs doing is to sprinkle very little sugar over the fruit spread on a baking dish in a single-ish layer.
Bake it in hot oven for ten minutes, drizzle with lemon juice and it’s done. Scraped into an airtight container, the compote will keep in the fridge for up to a fortnight of breakfasts, if scooped with a clean spoon every time.
How to prepare the oats
You could simply toast the oats (toast the oats: try saying it three times very fast) spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet, with or without a sprinkling of sugar, but if you toss them with beaten egg white and a little oil, they’ll cluster up delightfully – and who doesn’t love granola clusters?
They will take about half an hour to toast, shaken (not stirred) halfway through, until crunchy to your liking. That simplest granola will keep in an airtight tub for several weeks.
And then, even on the busiest morning, scoop out of the two tubs into bowls and add yoghurt. Or not.
More healthy breakfast recipes
Date porridge is naturally sweet, prepared the night before and cooked within minutes into chunky, nutritious and kick-ass breakfast.
Homemade muesli with oat, wheat and barley flakes, nuts, seeds and fruit and a good pinch of cinnamon. That’s the way to start a day!
Porridge oats and banana super-smoothie with chia seeds and almond or coconut milk, dairy free and gluten free. To prepare chia seeds, soak them in water.
More summer fruit recipes
Slow roasted strawberries become jammy but not too sickly, coated in luscious syrup, and they have a multitude of uses in desserts, cakes and afternoon tea confections.
Blueberry parfait recipe for a dessert or breakfast dish, delicious at any time of day. This blueberry parfait is made with roasted blueberries and strained yoghurt, both easy and exquisite.
Striped cake with a pattern of mixed berries, the look of summer. This striped berry cake recipe uses a mix of buckwheat, wholemeal and almond flour and it can be made gluten-free if the wheat flour is replaced by spelt.