Diana Henry The Telegraph's award-winning cookery writer
Diana Henry is the Telegraph’s much-loved cookery writer. She shares recipes each week, for everything from speedy family dinners to special menus that friends will remember for months. She is also a regular broadcaster on BBC Radio 4, and her journalism and recipe books, including Simple and How to Eat a Peach, are multi-award-winning. A mother of two sons, Diana can satisfy even the fussiest of eaters.
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Published
This compote is delicious served with my French almond cake.
Prep time: 10 minutes | Cooking time: 15-30 minutes
SERVES
Six
INGREDIENTS
- 600ml dry white wine, or water plus an extra 25g sugar
- 225g sugar
- 2 sprigs unsprayed fresh lavender, plus extra to serve
- 750g apricots, halved and stoned
- Juice of ½ lemon
METHOD
- Put the wine (or water), sugar and two sprigs of lavender into a pan that will hold all the fruit (preferably in a single layer) and heat gently, stirring to help the sugar dissolve. Add the apricots and poach until just tender. Depending on the ripeness of the apricots, it will take between five and 15 minutes. As soon as each one is ready, whip it out with a slotted spoon and place in a broad, shallow bowl.
- Discard the lavender, add the lemon juice to the pan and boil to reduce to about 250-300ml. Leave the syrup to cool completely then pour over the fruit and chill. Put some sprigs of lavender on top before serving.