Dried Fruit Compote in Spiced Syrup

• Recipe by Tom Valenti

"Adding a couple shots of brandy will only make this recipe better," Tom Valenti says about this easy dessert. He suggests making a large batch of the poached fruit well in advance. "You’ll find lots of uses for it," he says, such as a topping for French toast.

Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
2. 3/4 cup sugar
3. 1 cinnamon stick
4. 8 whole cloves
5. 1 1/4 pounds mixed dried apricots and pitted prunes, coarsely chopped (3 cups)
6. 2 cups cold water
7. 1 1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
8. Vanilla ice cream, gelato or crème fraîche, for serving

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, combine the white wine, sugar, cinnamon stick and cloves and bring to a boil over high heat. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Add the dried fruits, water and vanilla extract and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until the fruit is plump and the liquid is slightly syrupy, about 25 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick and cloves. Spoon the warm fruit and syrup over ice cream and serve.

Make Ahead

The fruit compote can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.