blueberry compote

If you feel that a bag of frozen blueberries lacks flavour, all is not lost. Luckily two essential Lebanese pantry ingredients are on hand to revive this often bland tasting berry. We’ve found that adding a tablespoon or two of Zejd’s pomegranate molasses and a touch of sumac  produces a very different kind of blueberry. The fruit is revived with depth and a burst of citrus zing and your breakfast compote saved. 

Pomegranate molasses, made from the juice of sour pomegranates, and sumac, a citrusy spice, are ingredients which belong to a culinary history of noble proportions. In Lebanon, these, and other foods preserved in traditional ways, have been beautifully documented by Barbara Abdeni Massaad. Her book Mouneh diligently records how pomegranate molasses and sumac are prepared and have been used. In the past, when mountain households in Lebanon wanted to add acidity, they were used instead of lemon. Their sharp tangy taste providing much loved acidity to salads, meat and vegetable dishes.

While pomegranate molasses and sumac are traditionally used in savoury dishes in Lebanon and Iran, their tangy potential is endless. We’re both firm believers that ingredients in your cupboards need to earn their keep. So it seemed logical to use them for their tangy goodness in this sweet dish. Without any added sugar, this simple compote proves that blueberries marry perfectly with these two fine Lebanese ingredients. 

makes enough for 4