Quick Stone Fruit Compote

My lovely neighbor brought me some ripe apriums from her yard (yes, that’s a hybrid apricot plum mix) on one of the last days of summer. And because there wasn’t enough time to eat all of them before they were overly ripe, I made this quick fruit compote with a little honey and fresh thyme.

Inspired by our recent  family trip in Provence, I set up a platter of french goat cheese alongside the compote, some crusty bread and a tart parsley salad for garnish. Tom and I opened a bottle of rosé, dug into our cheese plate and reminisced about our trip and slower days in the south of France. 

Yield About 1 3/4 cups of compote
Ingredients

2 to 2 1/2 cups of sliced ripe stone fruit, I used apricots and apriums 

1/4 cup (2 oz) of honey, more to taste if your fruit is less ripe

4 sprigs of thyme

pinch of salt

1-2 inch strip of lemon peel 

6 whole black peppercorns

Method

Heat a saucepan on medium-high heat for 30 secs. Add honey and cook for an additional 30 seconds, until the sugars begin to bubble. Add fruit to the pan in a thin even layer, covering all surface area, so the honey does not burn. Add salt, peppercorns and lemon peel. Run your fingers down the springs of thyme to remove tender leaves. Give the leaves a rough chop and add to the cooking fruit. After the fruit has been cooking for 2 minutes and the edges begin to carmelize, give the fruit a gentle stir and let the jam cook a minute more until the juices evaporate slightly. Remove the saucepan from heat. When cool, remove peppercorns and lemon peel. Place in an airtight container, and chill until ready to use. Keeps for 2 weeks.