Mirabelle Plum Compote

It’s mirabelle plum season here in the SaarLorLux region and we’re lucky they didn’t all dry up in the heat! These organic mirabelles were lovingly shaken from my cousin’s trees in the Lorraine and they were put straight to use. The season is short, so when it comes, we roll up our sleeves and get to work!

I find the easiest way to pit mirabelle plums is with a paring knife, although you can find all sorts of contraptions that will do the job. I always make a big batch of compote, then pit the rest of the plums and freeze them on a baking tray. Once they're frozen, I transfer them to a plastic bag. They can be used straight from frozen in compotes or jams, added to crumbles or baked into a lovely cake. I love finding a forgotten bag of them at the back of the freezer in midwinter!

 Mirabelle Plum Compote

• 500 g organic mirabelle plums

• 2–4 tsp organic sugar (depending on your taste and the sweetness of the plums)

• 1 sachet vanilla sugar

• 1 tsp fresh organic lemon juice

• 1 organic orange, peel only, use a vegetable peeler

• 2 tbsp water

1. Wash, halve and pit the mirabelle plums.

2. Put them in a saucepan and sprinkle over the sugar, vanilla sugar, lemon juice and orange peel strips.

3. Leave to macerate at room temperature for 15 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture starts to look syrupy.

4. Add the water, then simmer over a low heat for 10–15 minutes.

5. Remove the pan from the heat, leave to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until needed. Serve with yoghurt, ice cream or just on its own.