I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to use the medlars that ripen late autumn in our orchard; perhaps partly as I’ve been told there is an art to ‘catching’ them at the right movement on the branch and that ‘bletting’ is then required once inside; it all seemed a bit complicated. But this year I gathered my first bowlful of medlars late November, and created this compote with the first batch to ‘blet’ (see notes below) along with a handful of apples that had been gathered a few weeks ago and were amongst the first to be collected from the storage trays.
I enjoy the taste of medlar but am not a huge jelly fan, so wanted to create something with a bit more substance and less sugar than the traditional medlar jelly recipes. The soft structure of cooked medlar flesh felt as though it would lend itself to pairing with bite-size pieces of apple within a compote. I served this as a breakfast dish in a yogurt pot, the children have also enjoyed it spooned into puff pastry cases and cooked into tartlets. I’d love to know how you find it - and any other top medlar recipe tips!
Recipe: Apple & Medlar Compote
Approx 6 - 8 servings of compote
Ingredients:
250g medlars, bletted (see notes below)
Sprinkle of coconut sugar (or use alternative sugar, or honey/maple syrup)
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp almond milk (or alternative milk)
1 tsp coconut sugar (or alternative sugar)
250g apples (weight before peeling or coring)
1/2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
Optional: serve with yogurt, a drizzle of honey and add an edible flower on top
Method:
1. Heat oven to 200C.
2. Rinse the medlars and pat dry. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and lay the medlars on top, spaced out. Sprinkle with coconut sugar. Bake in the oven for approx 20 minutes, until flesh is soft (you may need to remove some smaller medlars early, or leave larger ones to cook a little longer).
3. While medlars are in the oven, peel and core the apples then chop into bite-size pieces.
4. Place apple pieces in a saucepan with coconut oil, cinnamon and honey. Warm for approx 10 minutes until apple pieces are softening. Add a splash of water while cooking if needed so the pan doesn’t dry out. Set aside when cooked.
3. When medlars are cooked remove from oven and set aside to cool. When cool, scoop out the flesh into a bowl, discarding the flesh and stones.
4. Place medlar flesh along with lemon juice, ground ginger, almond milk and coconut sugar in blender/Nutribullet and mix until smooth.
5. Spoon the medlar ‘paste’ into the saucepan with apples, warm through until combined then remove from heat.
6. Serve warm or leave to cool and will keep for a few days in the fridge. I like to place a few spoonfuls of warm compote into the bottom of a glass cup, top with yogurt then an edible flower - in the recipe above I’ve used fuchsia.
Note on bletting medlars - medlars are harvested when firm, and left to ‘blet’ or ripen in the home, until the flesh softens. To do this, remove any leaves and lay the medlars out on a tray, plate or box so they are not touching, place in a cool area. Check regularly, you will find some blet more quickly than others and can be used first, or stored in the fridge until others catch up. For more info and recipes see: www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2006/dec/03/foodanddrink.recipes
