How to cook a compote of cherries and apples?

You can make a delicious and healthy compote from garden apples and cherries.Unlike store juices, it is safe, as it does not contain harmful preservatives and artificial colors. Preparing it yourself, you get a vitamin preparation for the winter for yourself and your loved ones.

The nutritional value of the finished drink depends on the amount of added sugar. If compote is prepared without it, then the caloric content does not exceed 26 kcal, with the addition of sugar - 68 kcal. These indicators are relative, because of great importance is the variety and degree of maturity of the fruit.

As part of the fruit and berry drink contains a small amount of protein (0.3 g), there is no fat at all (0.0 g), and the amount of carbohydrates is high (15.0 g). In a non-sweet compote, carbohydrates are smaller — about 6.0 g per 100 g of product

Properly prepared drink retains all the necessary micronutrients and vitamins of fresh fruit. This makes it extremely useful in winter and springtime, when the reserves of valuable substances in the human body are depleted. The high content of vitamin C helps fight colds and is an excellent flu prevention.

The apple-cherry drink contains a large amount of iron and magnesium, these elements support the work of the heart and have a beneficial effect on the composition of the blood. The use of a drink is recommended for weight loss diets, compote restores strength, and the malic acid in the composition helps burn excess fat.

However, there are some contraindications:

• It should be noted that even if the compote is cooked without sugar, fruits and berries themselves contain a large percentage of sucrose, therefore the product is contraindicated in diabetes;
• due to the high content of vitamin C and increased acidity, the drink may irritate the mucous membranes of the digestive system, so you should limit its use in gastric ulcer;
• you can not drink compote with allergic reactions to fruits and berries contained in it.

Nutritionists recommend to drink the drink in moderation, listening to your body, to its reactions to the fruit product.

Compote cooking recipes there is an incredible variety. The classic apple-cherry drink will require the following ingredients:

• cherry - 1 cup;
• apples - 3 pcs. medium size;
• sugar - 1 cup;
• water - 2.7 l.

It is convenient to store apple-cherry blanks in three-liter glass jars, so the number of products specified in the calculation of one such capacity.

Dip this aromatic spice into the drink and the taste will become brighter. You can put star anisean, it will give anise flavor to compote. A sprig of mint will make drinking more tender and fragrant. Just do not add all these components together, you should choose one thing.

Various fruits and berries are suitable for making compotes, you can experiment and successfully combine them with each other. So, instead of apples, apricots are taken, and cherries are recommended to be replaced with black currants. In the compote of any fruit, you can add juice or lemon zest, you get a drink with a high content of vitamin C.

If you are going to use the product immediately or within 2–3 days after preparation, it is very easy to make compote. All ingredients must be put in a saucepan, add water, wait for boiling and immediately remove from heat. If you are preparing a product for long-term storage, the cooking process will be a little more difficult. It includes 4 stages:

• pasteurization cans;
• fruit preparation;
• double fill;
• plugging containers with lids.

First you need to prepare the banks, they must be thoroughly washed with soda and pasteurized.For pasteurization, you must hold the jar over the steam until it becomes hot, then put it upside down on a clean towel. Lids must be boiled or doused with boiling water.

Apples and cherries are thoroughly washed, removing rotten fruit and debris, bones can be left. An apple is cut into about 7–8 parts to make small slices. Then all the fruits are placed in a prepared container.

The double fill method allows you to close cans with compote without sterilization. To do this, filtered or spring water is brought to a boil and poured into jars of fruit. To prevent the container from bursting from exposure to high temperatures, boiling water should be poured carefully, in a thin stream in the center of the dish. It is important that the container is warm, usually after pasteurization, it just has the right temperature. We pour water to the brim, cover it with a lid and leave it for 15–20 minutes.

Next, pour the water from the jar into the pan and bring the liquid to a boil. Fruits leave and add sugar to them, again pour them the same apple-cherry broth to the neck. We roll the compote with sterilized lids, turn the can upside down and wrap it in a warm blanket. In a day, when the compote is ready, the banks can be put in the usual position.

Compote can be prepared without adding sugar, the drink will turn out unsweetened and will have a more refreshing, light taste. Sugar is a good preservative, and if you do not use it in the recipe, then close the jars without careful sterilization will not work.

Compote without sugar is prepared according to the usual recipe, but without adding it. The preparation stages are a bit different, here more attention is paid to the sterilization process:

• pasteurization cans (you can just pour boiling water);
• preparation of fruit products;
• pouring fruit;
• sterilization;
• rolling caps.

Wash my fruits, cut them and stack them in a prepared jar. Fill with boiling water, leaving 2-3 cm to the edge of the neck, cover the lid tightly and leave for a few minutes.

Next comes the important stage of sterilization. We take a large pot, cover the bottom with a thick cloth, a towel is good for this. Carefully place the cans with a drink so that they do not touch each other and fill it with warm water. Banks should be immersed in it around the shoulders.

Turn on the fire and wait for boiling, adjust the heating level of the stove, boiling should not be very strong. We wait 30 minutes, periodically you can remove the lids from the cans, releasing excess steam. Do this carefully so as not to burn yourself. After the time has elapsed, remove the jars, screw and turn them over. Leave them in this position for a day.

Sometimes compotes can be closed without sterilization. In this case, the prepared fruits in the jar are simply filled with boiling water and sugar is added. Everything, drink is ready!

Compote is recommended to use chilled, you can add a slice of lemon. Apples and cherries left over from the drink can be used as a filling for sweet pies.

Store the finished drink must be in a dark, cool place in the cellar or refrigerator for two years. Banks that have undergone thorough sterilization can be left at room temperature. It should be noted that cherry bones eventually begin to produce hydrocyanic acid for humans. If no stones have been previously removed from the cherry, then the storage of such a compote should be no more than 1 year.

The recipe for compote from cherries and apples for the winter, see the next video.