It's still Summer here in the Northeast. Although it's ending soon, there are still plenty of delicious summery fruits and vegetables that I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to just yet! Berries are one of them. Here's a gorgeous blueberry chia compote that is super quick to make, and easy to hold onto for a few extra weeks.
Ingredients:
- 2.5 cups fresh/frozen blueberries
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- (optional) 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
Directions:
1. Pour your blueberries into a small pot over medium heat. Add in the sugar. Gently stir. Keep an eye on it. This will start to draw out all the moisture from the blueberries.
2. Within 2-3 minutes, you will start to see some juice at the bottom. Put on the lid and turn the heat to low. Let cook for about 10 minutes, until the blueberries have softened and they are easily mashable. You may mash them with a potato masher or muddler if desired.
3. Add in the lemon juice. Turn the heat back up to medium, until it starts to rapidly boil. Turn off the heat entirely, and let sprinkle in the lemon zest.
4. Pour into a glass jar or container along with the chia seeds. Stir to combine and let cool in the fridge for about 2-3 hours or overnight. The mixture should become really thick, somewhere between a compote and a jam.
5. Store in the fridge for about 2 weeks.
Note on sugar: While it's not really necessary for the thickness of the jam, since the chia seeds will take care of that, it does go a long way in terms of taste. I prefer my compote to be fairly sweet, but if you don't mind it tangy, you may just leave out the sugar. Just keep a close eye on the compote while it's on the stove and do not let it burn.
I love this compote on pancakes, waffles, sweet oatmeal or porridge, etc. You may even use it to top some delicious vegan vanilla ice cream. In fact, I use around 2 tablespoons of this compote to make my banana nice cream in the summer. It turns out great every time!
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. It's so simple to make, but looks so impressive!
Happy September,
Abhijna