Laura Bailey’s Pear Compote

Laura is a wonderful friend from my early New York days, whom I met when we were both in our twenties. We shared so many formative experiences together—Sunday morning trips to the flea market, fretting over boyfriend issues, and going to our first fashion shows, both of us thrilled and intimidated. She was even a bridesmaid in my wedding to Christopher. Laura now lives in England, too, which has brought us to a whole new, more grown-up chapter in our friendship.

One weekend, when I went to visit her country house, she gave me homemade Pear Compote from fruit grown in her orchard. I’d never had Pear Compote before and it sat in my pantry for a few months before I felt inspired to open it. When I finally did, I poured a few spoonfuls of it over sheep’s milk yogurt and Ottolenghi granola and was instantly hooked. At last, I had found something delicious to do with the abundance of pears that ripen in our farmyard each early summer. I now consider Pear Compote a Fairgreen Farm perennial.

INGREDIENTS

Makes six 8-ounce jars

• 2 pounds pears, peeled, cored, and diced
• (weight measured after chopping)
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

HOW TO

Bring everything to a boil for 10 minutes and then simmer slowly for 60–90 minutes, until the pears are soft. Blast them with a hand blender until the texture is smooth. Pour the mixture into sterilized jars and seal. Simmer in a pan of water for 30 minutes.

Read more about Amanda Brooks’ farm life and try out more of her recipes by reading her book, Farm from Home:

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