Skip to content

Strawberry compote

Strawberry compote is whole strawberries packed in jars in sugar syrup. The berries are gently heated to 65 C in the syrup, left cold overnight and sterilised in jars at 75 C. From Erken's Stor kokebok (1949), p. 711.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1949-utg. s. 711 (falt i det fri)

Be the first to rate

About the dish

The recipe appears under preserving in the 1949 edition and shows a gentle method in which the berries stay whole at a low temperature instead of being boiled. The text mentions that cherry or blackcurrant juice can improve the colour.

How to make it

  1. 1

    Boil the syrup

    Boil the sugar and water for 15 minutes. Skim off the foam.

  2. 2

    Heat the berries

    Place the berries in a wide pan and pour the cold syrup over them. Heat slowly to 65 C and hold that temperature for 5 minutes.

  3. 3

    Leave to cool

    Leave the pan, covered with a lid, in a cold place until the next day.

  4. 4

    Fill jars

    Carefully place the berries in jars and pour the strained syrup over them. Sterilise the jars for 15 minutes at 75 C. For a stronger colour, a little cherry or blackcurrant juice can be added to the syrup, but then plain uncoloured syrup should be poured over the berries in the jars.

  5. 5

    Note

    Note: This is a gentle heat treatment with little acidity, so the compote is not as safe to store as modern canned goods. Use clean jars, keep them cool and dark, and use the compote within a short time. Discard any jar with a bulging lid or an unusual smell.

Changes from the original

All quantities are kept (1 kg sugar, 1 l water, 5 l strawberries). "A quarter of an hour" is written as 15 minutes, and the number of servings is an estimate since the book gives none.

Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

Pick two different editions to see a comparison.

Community interpretations

Be the first to share your own version.

See interpretations →

Frequently asked questions

How many strawberries do I need?
The recipe uses 5 litres of strawberries with 1 kg of sugar and 1 litre of water.
Why is the compote left cold until the next day?
After heating to 65 C, the berries stand cold with a lid on the pan until the next day, before being put into jars.
How do I get a good colour?
Erken writes that a little cherry or blackcurrant juice can be added to the syrup, but then plain uncoloured syrup should be poured over the berries in the jars.
Which temperatures are used?
The berries are heated to 65 C and held for 5 minutes. The jars are sterilised for 15 minutes at 75 C.

Related recipes

More dishes in the same category from the archive

Read also

Kommentarer

Ingen kommentarer ennå. Bli den første til å dele!