Compote of cherries for the winter: recipes, cooking secrets

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

In Russia, a sweet drink brewed from fruits and berries, that is compote, fell in love in the 18th century. The word itself came to us from France, literally it translates as "fruit puree". Our great-grandmothers often added cereals to dessert for satiety. Almost immediately, cherry compote began to enjoy success in Russia. You can cook it for the winter in various ways: with seeds, without seeds, in a slow cooker, with and without sugar.

Useful properties of cherries

The cherry berry is very sweet and juicy. In addition to taste, it is valued for its unique beneficial properties. Even after heat treatment, the concentration of vitamins C, A, PP, E, B1 and B2 is preserved in it. There are also many macronutrients in the berry:

• calcium;
• yoda;
• phosphorus;
• iron;
• fluorine;
• magnesium;
• copper.

At the same time, the calories in it are no more than 50 kcal per 100 g. You can cook delicious cherry compote for the winter without adding sugar and enjoy the dessert without fear foryour figure.

Red berry supports the body's immunity, lowers blood cholesterol and strengthens blood vessels. Scientists note that cherries are useful for anemia and hypertension. It is a natural pain reliever, well absorbed, quickly satisfies hunger. In addition, unlike cherries, the berry does not cause heartburn. Thus, cherry compote for the winter is not only a tasty, but also a very he althy drink.

Preparing products for harvesting

There are several ways to prepare a berry drink. Someone boils the ingredients and then insists, others prefer to pour boiling water over them several times. Each housewife chooses how to cook cherry compote for the winter, but there are rules that must be followed in both cases:

1. Before cooking, the berries need to be sorted out, rotten ones should be thrown away.
2. Rinse the selected cherries under running water.
3. For a drink, it is best to choose berries that are already ripe, but not yet soft.
4. The most delicious compote is made from large dark scarlet and yellow cherries.
5. The berries themselves are advised to put as much as possible in the jar.

It is worth noting that the seeds in the berries contain hydrocyanic acid (poison), which, with time, passes into the berries themselves. Therefore, some experts recommend removing the pits from cherries before cooking. On the other hand, if you drink a drink within a year, then there will be no harm from it. Moreover, cherries have varieties that are easily freed from stones, and those in which the pulp is separated withlabor. Therefore, the recipe is selected depending on the variety.

The cherry itself goes well with almost all fruits and berries, you can cook a delicious assortment with it.

Sterilize jars

Young housewives often wonder how to close cherry compote for the winter. It is believed that it is safer to roll up sterilized jars.

For this you need:

1. Rinse the container for compote with soda in running water (rinse well).
2. Boil the jars over steam (over a large saucepan) or heat in the oven (if overheated, the jar may burst when pouring compote).

In this case, the lids are poured over with boiling water or “boiled” in water. The covers themselves should be without scratches, with a tight elastic band.

Some housewives sterilize cherry compote for the winter along with jars. To do this, they heat water in a large saucepan, line the bottom with a cloth, and put jars of hot drink into such dishes. In this design, the compote is boiled over low heat for about 15 minutes.

Cherry compote for the winter with seeds

Cherry is not a large berry, so most housewives cook it without removing the seeds. At the same time, the fruits are quite sweet, so they won’t take much sugar.

The classic recipe contains the following ingredients:

• 5 glasses of fresh cherries;
• 3 liters of water;
• 1, 5 cups of sugar.

For the winter, cherry compote with pits is cooked very simply:

1. To begin with, we sort through the berries, removingrotten and damaged.
2. Wash and dry cherries. You can leave to dry on a large towel.
3. Put the berries in a three-liter sterilized jar. The jar needs to be placed in a bowl. Then pour boiling water over the berries to the top, cover with a lid and leave to “rest” for 15-20 minutes.
4. Then the water from under the cherry is poured into a separate pan, sugar is thrown into it and boiled until it dissolves.
5. Now this syrup needs to be poured back into the jar, rolled up, wrapped in a towel and turned over.

It will be possible to indulge in a delicious berry drink in a month. This is exactly how much the classic compote of cherries for the winter is infused until fully cooked.

Cook without pits

Cooking a seedless drink is also very simple. It is enough for the hostess to get a hairpin or buy a special device in the store that will help separate the pulp of the berry from its core.

For a liter jar of pitted cherry compote for the winter you will need:

• cherries - 200 g;
• sugar - 100 g;
• water - 1 l.

Step by step instructions:

1. We sort through the berries, as in the first recipe.
2. We take a hairpin, a safety pin (you need to unbend it) or a special device for removing bones.
3. Put the device from the top side of the berry, scroll inside and take out the seed.
4. Pour cherries and sugar into a sterile jar. Fill with boiling water.
5. Put the jar in the pan. Preferably at the bottom of the dishput a clean rag.
6. Cover the jar with a lid without twisting.
7. Pour boiling water over the pot and put it on the stove.
8. After the compote inside the jar boils, it is “simmered” over low heat for another 10 minutes.

It remains to close the cherry compote for the winter. How to do it:

• remove the jar from the pot by the neck;
• roll it up with a lid.

It is not recommended to prepare 2-3-liter jars of compote in this way. It is better to take several liter cans.

Assorted berries

A simple recipe for cherry compote for the winter can be diversified by adding other fruits from the garden to it. In the kitchen, there will be almost no hassle, but the taste will turn out to be more intense and unusual. In addition, such a drink can be brewed from the remains of berries.

For a liter of winter dessert you will need:

• ½ cup cherries;
• ½ cup cherries;
• ½ cup gooseberries;
• sprig of lemon balm or fresh mint;
• 70g sugar;
• 0.5 liters of water.

Put prepared washed berries in sterile jars, cover with sugar. After that, the jars are sterilized and turned upside down. It is recommended to store such a drink in a cool place.

Yellow cherry compote for winter

Yellow cherries are one of the first berries to ripen in the garden. It contains many vitamins, iodine, calcium and magnesium. At the same time, it retains its useful properties in compote. The berry also has a rich taste and aroma.

Compote of yellow cherries for the winter can be cooked without hassle. For a liter of compote we take:

• yellow cherries - 0.3-0.5 liters;
• sugar - 1.5 cups;
• boiling water;
• cinnamon to taste.

The berries can be removed or boiled together with them. Then the compote is prepared, as in other recipes: berries, sugar and cinnamon are poured into sterile jars, after which they are poured with boiling water.

At the same time, compote from yellow cherries is sterilized a little longer than from red berries. Banks with a drink on low heat boil for 20-30 minutes. After that, the finished dessert is turned upside down, wrapped in a blanket. The next day, the compote is removed in a cool and dark place.

Sugar free drink recipe

Even on a diet, you can treat yourself to a cherry dessert. The berries themselves are very sweet, so the drink can be brewed without sugar. This simple cherry compote recipe for the winter can be prepared according to any of the options above. The main thing is not to add sugar to the drink. Or cook a spicy dessert according to the original recipe.

In this case, you need to take for a three-liter jar:

• 700g cherries;
• 3 cinnamon sticks (or 0.5 tsp);
• 1-2 allspice peas;
• 1-2 carnations;
• vanilla and nutmeg on the tip of a spoon.

Cooking compote:

1. Place the prepared berries in a sterile container.
2. Add spices, pour boiling water.
3. Put the jar in a saucepan with a cloth at the bottom, cover with a lid.
4. Three-liter compotesterilized for 20-25 minutes on low heat.

Next, the jar is rolled up, covered with a towel and sent to cool. Diet drink for the winter is ready.

Harvesting for the winter without sterilization

You can make cherry compote for the winter without sterilization. True, in this case, it is recommended to drink it in the first winter.

For three liters of drink you need to take:

• 0.5 kg cherries (red or yellow, can be mixed);
• 2 cups of sugar;
• a pinch of citric acid;
• boiling water.

Cooking method:

1. The berries are sorted and put into sterile jars.
2. After that, the container is filled to the top with boiling water and covered (without twisting) with boiled lids.
3. Leave the drink for 15 minutes. Next, the jar should be closed with a lid with holes. Through these holes, the syrup is poured into the pan.
4. Sugar and citric acid are added to the drink. Then it needs to be boiled for 2-3 minutes.
5. The berries are again poured with ready-made syrup. The jar is rolled up and turned over.

Without sterilization, compote is infused for a month.

Yummy from the multicooker

At any time of the year, you can cook fresh cherry compote in a slow cooker. In summer it can be fresh berries, in winter it can be frozen.

Ingredients for drink:

• cherries (fresh, dried, frozen) - 0.5 kg;
• glass of sugar;
• 1 lemon (can substituteorange);
• 2 liters of water.

So, how to cook cherry compote for the winter in a slow cooker:

1. Wash the berries (frozen ones do not need to be thawed). Place on the bottom of a bowl and cover with cold water.
2. Add sugar.
3. Cut a lemon or orange into several pieces, squeeze the juice out of it into a mixture for a drink.
4. Turn on the "Extinguishing" mode. The time is set depending on the power of the multicooker. Compote usually takes 20-30 minutes to cook.

Then it is simply poured into another container, for example, into a decanter, and cooled. Fresh he althy drink is ready. It is best served cold.

Useful tips and secrets from chefs

When preparing cherry compote, keep in mind that this berry is sweeter than cherries. That means less sugar. A liter of cherry drink will take 600 grams of sugar, while a can of cherry drink will require a maximum of 350 g of granulated sugar.

A pinch of citric acid can enhance the taste of a delicate berry. However, it should not be too much. No more than 1 gram per liter.

Cherry compote is very difficult to spoil. The berry goes well with other gifts of summer: strawberries, cherries, citruses, gooseberries, apples and other fruits.

When sterilizing a drink, the following rules should be observed:

1. Do not wash jars with detergents. The foam is difficult to wash off the glass and spoils the taste of the drink. It is better to wash the container with mustard powder or soda (food).
2. If the lid of the jar was poorly rolled up,then bubbles appear in the compote. Such a drink will quickly deteriorate (ferment). Therefore, it must be boiled again.

If there is syrup left after cooking, do not rush to pour it out. Leftovers can be used to make dessert. You can add berries, mint, citrus zest to it, or simply add syrup to tea.