One of the things you have to appreciate about Hyrulean cuisine is the idea that anything can be a meal. Ingredients or dishes that we would typically consider a dessert, side dish, or snack can be considered a meal in the kingdom. One good example of this is fruit based dishes. Whereas some of these dishes are treated as desserts, others can be eaten as a meal. One such dish is simmered fruit.
Though simmered fruit may just be more of a mid day snack or treat for some, it can be eaten as a simple meal when traveling the wilderness of Hyrule. Fruits grow wild all throughout the kingdom, so gathering a bounty of fruit and simmering it down into a compote at a cooking pot or campsite is an easy meal for any traveler.
"This sweet dish is made by heaping tasty fruits into a pan and simmering until tender."
In order to make this dish, we’re going to simmer a mix of fruits in butter, sugar, and spices. Once the fruit is softened and has released its juices, we will purée it into a smooth compote and then top it with fruits to match the garnishes on the dish. This is a slight departure from the simplicity of the in-game preparation, but it really is a delicious treat. The blend of fruits with the sugar and spices makes for a sweet and refreshing mid day snack or after dinner dessert. Though it could be a meal, I’d be super satisfied having a bowl of this after a meal on warm Hyrule day in any of the villages.
Ingredients
1 tbsp butter
2 large honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
4 small to medium yellow peaches or nectarines, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1 banana, sliced
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
½ cup orange juice
½ cup cold water
For garnish
½ cup blueberries
½ cup green grapes
½ cup red grapes
1 orange, sliced in wedges
Mint leaves
Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of butter. Once the butter is melted, add the apples and the peaches. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and ground ginger. Toss the fruit slices to coat evenly with the sugar and spices. Allow the fruit to sauté until it has softened and released liquid, about 7-10 minutes.
Once the fruit has softened, add the banana slices, toss the fruit to distribute the banana, and sauté for another 2 minutes. Lastly, add the orange juice and stir it into the fruit. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Allow the mixture to simmer until the liquid becomes syrupy, about 3-5 minutes. Once the fruit is all soft and the sauce has become syrupy, remove the pan from the heat, and allow the fruit to cool.
Once the fruit is cool, add it to a food processor, and purée the fruit until it is smooth. To give it a smoother and more velvety texture, similar to applesauce, we will add cold water. Add the cold water ⅛ cup at a time, puréeing after each addition. Do this until the fruit compote gets a super smooth applesauce-like consistency. You may not need the full ½ cup of water. Once it is completely smooth, your compote sauce is done. You can chill it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
To serve, add a potion of the fruit compote sauce to a small bowl or dish. Garnish it with four blueberries in the center, two green grapes to one side, two red grapes to the other side, an orange slice at the back, and mint leaves in the center of the blueberries. Your simmered fruit is complete. Enjoy!