Super delicious, decadent and oh so fancy,  you might think these poached fruits are hard to make but in actuality it’s pretty darn easy!

Fruitcake in a jar

Wine poached fruits tastes like a fruit cake in jar.  With lots of wine, spices and dried fruits the only thing missing is the flour, butter and baking.

Its one of those sweet treats that looks like it came from an old-fashioned Victorian shop and tastes as decadent as it looks.  Seriously though, what’s not to like about a boozy jam of fruit compote that can be had with ice cream or a piece of cake?  

About the recipe

This recipe is from Ina Garten and is part of her new series of episodes that are being aired right now on Food Network.  The episode that featured this wine poached dried fruits was all about boozy desserts, meaning all the desserts Ina made had alcohol in them.  All looked amazingly delicious, and this one seemed more seasonal, especially with the holidays upon us.  

This is a rich and sweet fruit jam with a little extra sophistication.  Perfect to have for dessert with a scoop of Vanilla ice cream, over Greek yogurt for a decadent holiday breakfast treat, or even to spoon over a simple piece of cake.  A wonderful pick-me-up for our cold wintery days ahead.

Have dessert wine or port you want to use up?

So how easy is it really to make this decadent compote?  Have dessert wine or port you want to use up?  Just bring a bottle of sweet wine or port to a boil with sugar and water, add in a few spices like cinnamon, cloves and star anise, then pile on the dried fruit and cook together and within 30 minutes you have a delicious thick juicy compote.  That’s it! Wait for it to cool and store in a bottle to use whenever you want.

In Ina’s recipe she used an entire bottle of Italian sweet sparkling wine called Muscatel di’ Asti, but I just used a bottle of sweet Ice Wine I had plus a cup of port that was leftover in a bottle.  

While Ina’s compote was a beautiful golden in color, mine turned out darker because of the dark port and also my dried fruit were darker in color.  No matter though what sweet wine you use or dried fruit gets poached, this is a delicious fruit jam that will surely be a hit with your friends and family.

Wine Poached Dried Fruits
recipe from Ina Garten on Food Network

• 1 (750 ml) bottle Moscato d’Asti Italian sparkling white wine
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 (6-inch) cinnamon stick (or two 3-inch sticks)
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 8 whole cloves, wrapped in cheesecloth and tied with kitchen string
• Zest of 2 large oranges, zested with a strip zester
• Zest of 1 lemon, zested with a strip zester
• 2 cups large dried Calimyrna figs, hard stems removed (12 ounces)
• 2 cups large dried apricots (12 ounces)
• 1 cup large pitted prunes (6 ounces)
• 1 cup large dried peaches, halved (6 ounces)
• 3/4 cup dried cherries (5 ounces)
• Crème fraiche, for serving

For complete instructions take a look at this link Moscato Poached Fruit from Ina Garten on Food Network.  Here is a look at how I made my wine poached dried fruit!

• Bring to a boil wine, sugar and water for 15 minutes.

• Add the dried fruit and continue to simmer for 20 minutes until fruit are tender.

• Turn the stove off and let the mixture cool completely, then store in sterlized bottles  to use later.

• Serve the poached fruits with ice cream or your favorite piece of cake!

Happy Holidays!