Photo: Kurt Stüber [1], CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

Compote · From Bladwijzer

Whitebeam and apple sauce

Updated on 9 October 2026

• Makes: ± 3 jars of 250 ml
• Time: 45 min
• From: Whitebeam

Ingredients

• 500 g whitebeam berries
• 500 g apples
• 100 ml water
• 60–80 g sugar (to taste)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• juice of ½ lemon

Method

1. Pick the berries after the first night frost, or leave them in the freezer for 2 nights. Never eat them raw: they are mealy and only to be used cooked.
2. Strip the berries from the stalks, rinse them and leave to drain.
3. Simmer the berries with the water and cinnamon stick, covered, for 15 min until soft.
4. Peel and chop the apples and add them. Cook for another 10–15 min, until the apple falls apart.
5. Remove the cinnamon stick and put everything through a food mill or press it through a coarse sieve to remove the skins and pips.
6. Stir in the sugar and lemon juice and simmer for another 5 min. Taste and add more sugar if needed.
7. Spoon the hot sauce into clean, sterilised jars, close them and stand them in a pan of boiling water for 15 min.

Storing: Unopened, 6 months in a cool, dark place; once opened, in the fridge and eat within 1 week. The sauce can also be frozen in portions. Good with roast meat, cheese or yoghurt.