Dried Fruit Compote is traditionally served as part of the Polish Christmas Eve meal. It is a delicious beverage, rich, citrussy, with hints of cinnamon and cloves. Easy to make and ready in under 30 minutes!
Polish Dried Fruit Compote, called 'kompot z suszu' is also known as 'kompot wigilijny', which means 'Christmas Eve compote'. According to tradition the Christmas Eve meal should consist of 12 dishes (thankfully side dishes and beverages count too!)! In my early days of cooking I took this custom very literally but I have now embraced a less stressful approach and stopped counting. Some dishes have been dropped but the one recipe I always make is traditional Polish Christmas compote.
It simply involves cooking dried fruit in water along with a few spices until the fruit have released all their delicious, rich flavour. It's quick and uncomplicated but really delicious and a great way of enjoying dried fruit.
This recipe is different from fruit compote, which tends to be served as dessert along with the fruit. Polish kompot made with dried fruit is served as a beverage, usually without the fruit.
Dried fruit compote ingredients and substitutions
- Prunes: the backbone of the kompot, they add flavour, sweetness and colour.
- Other dried fruit: more on that below.
- Spices: I used cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and allspice which add a lovely Christmassy feel to this recipe. Adjust the recommended amounts to your taste.
- Orange peel: Adds a burst of citrus. You could also use a bit of lemon peel.
- Lemon juice: Balances the sweetness of the kompot.
- Sugar: Use according to taste.
What dried fruit to use
Polish Christmas fruit drink usually consists of prunes, dried apples and pears (plus other varieties of dried fruit, such as apricots, though less often). I use mostly prunes, which have a delicious, rich flavour, but this is personal preference and you can adjust the proportions according to your taste.
Dried fruit are famous for their nutritional benefits including a fair amount of fibre, which aids digestion. This I suspect is the reason why this beverage is served on Christmas Eve, when the remaining 11 dishes include wild mushrooms and sauerkraut! The dried fruit help the digestive system cope with all this rich food and allow the fine tradition of overindulgence to continue. (Personal theory, but not completely unfounded I think:)
Step-by-step recipe instructions
1.Place all the ingredients (not the lemon juice) in a pot, cover and bring to the boil.
2. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the fruit have softened and doubled in size.
3. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and adjust the amount of sugar if needed. Chill before serving or pour the liquid into glasses and serve hot.
Top tips
- What fruit to use: Polish dried fruit compote is usually made with prunes, dried apples, pears but can include other fruits, such as apricots.
- Cooking: Simmer until the fruit have softened, doubled in size and released all their flavour.
- Storing: Refrigerate for up to 4 days. You can, but don't have to, separate the liquid from the fruit. If you leave the fruit in the kompot, however, after a while it will absorb more of the liquid and you may have to add a splash of water to adjust the consistency before serving.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
Serving
Polish compote with dried fruit can be served either hot or cold, with or without the fruit. (These can later be added separately to yogurt, granola, morning porridge or smoothies). I like my kompot clear and cold and sip it throughout the Christmas Eve meal instead of wine.
Other 'sweet' Polish Christmas Eve recipes to try
- Polish Gingerbread Loaf (Piernik) Recipe
- Polish Poppy Seed Cake (Makowiec)
- Kutia Recipe (Wheat Berry Pudding)
See also these other traditional Polish recipes!
Keep in touch!
If you make Polish dried fruit kompot I'd love to know how it turned out for you. What fruit did you use? Let me know in the comments below, thanks!
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Recipe
Polish Dried Fruit Compote Recipe (Christmas)
Equipment
- Medium sized pot
- Vegetable peeler
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450 g) prunes pitted
- 5-6 dried apples/pears
- 5½ cups (1.3 l) water
- 6 cloves
- 1 short cinnamon stick
- 0.35 ounces (10 g) fresh ginger piece about 1.5 cm long, peeled
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg and allspice each
- ½ orange, peel only
- 1½ tablespoons sugar or to taste
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients (not the lemon juice) in a medium sized pot, cover and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the fruit have softened and doubled in size, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice and adjust the sweetness if needed. Set aside to cool or serve hot. You can separate the fruit from the liquid before serving but this is optional. You can serve the kompot using a ladle or transfer it into a jug.
Notes
- What fruit to use: Polish compote can be made with prunes only but you could also add dried apples, pears and apricots into the pot.
- Spices: I used cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg but you can replace these with 1 teaspoon of mixed spice/pumpkin spice.
- Serving: This compote can be served either hot or cold, with or without the fruit. (These can later be added separately to yogurt, granola, morning porridge or smoothies). I like my compote clear and cold and sip it throughout the Christmas Eve meal instead of wine. You can, but don't have to, separate the liquid from the fruit. If you leave the fruit in the compote, however, after a while it will absorb some of the liquid and you may have to adjust the consistency with a splash of water.
- Storing: Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.
**A note about baking: If using a fan-assisted oven refer to your appliance's instructions and adjust the temperature accordingly.
Joan says
Hi Monika. I have a large container of Polish Compote that came with a Polish dinner I order for Christmas. The recipe has all of the wonderful fruits that is in your recipe. For us, it is a little overwhelming (too strong). Is there a way I can mix it with cool whip or something else to make it more pleasant tasting to us? It's good but I'm sure there is a way to tone it down. Thank you.
Monika says
Hi Joan, if it's too intense you can simply add a little water to dilute it. You could also add freshly squeezed orange juice (commercial orange juice might be too intense). Or a bit of both. If after diluting it the compote becomes a little bland you can liven it up with a little lemon juice. Hope this helps:)
Ed says
This recipe definitely reminds me of a traditional Polish food, that I had years ago. It appears to me, as an ultra classical dish: in the Polish style, I recall ithe original dish, as being prepared with a 50/50 combination of prunes and apricots.
Monika says
It is indeed a traditional Polish recipe but you can add different dried fruits into the compote, in addition to the prunes, including apricots of course. I remember form my own childhood people used to use dried apples a lot.
Charlotte Oates says
I love the idea of traditional Christmas eve food. I don't think I have any (unless of course you count getting the bigger chocolate in the advent calendar 🙂 ). I think I might have to start my own traditions (although probably not 12 dishes!).
Monika says
I know 12 dishes is a bit much (I never actually make 12!) but I love all the traditional dishes and don't really mind making them as it's only once a year after all! I'll be starting the cooking next Wednesday:)
cookingwithauntjuju.com says
I really enjoy seeing and reading about traditional recipes from other countries. I would probably add different fruit like you suggested. Thanks for sharing your compote with Fiesta Friday 🙂
Monika says
Thanks for stopping by! I'll be posting more Polish traditional recipes in the next 2 weeks:)
Midge says
oooh this sounds lovely, the Peachicks like prunes so definitely have to give this a go!
Monika says
Thanks! So glad you like it:)
Nico @ yumsome says
This is calling my name - I adore prunes! It reminds me of a similar dish my Gran used to make for me if I was sick, although she used fewer spices, and served it with rice pudding.
This is definitely one to make!
Monika says
Thanks! Rice pudding with prune compote sounds great! I am actually tempted to make it as I've got some compote leftover today. My youngest son adores prunes (why do people think prunes are only liked by old folks?) and rice pudding, so might make it as an after school treat for him:)
Nico @ yumsome says
So funny you should say that about old folk and prunes - when I was at school, and prunes were on the menu, my classmates would often turn their noses up, saying they were old people food!
Maybe it's something to do with sluggish digestive systems?
Prunes seem to be more mainstream here in former Yugo countries than in Britain. And they're really cheap too!
Lovely to read that your son loves them too, and rice pudding - he is clearly a young man of impeccable taste!
Monika says
Prunes are really cheap in Poland too. As for my son, not sure about impeccable taste, but he does have his moments...:)
Mandy Mazliah says
This looks lovely Monika. I really like compote but I usually have it for breakfast. Thanks for adding to #CookBlogShare
Monika says
Thanks Mandy! I have this for breakfast too, if there is any leftover from the previous night's feast:)