Plum Compote from Austria – Authentic Recipe

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The Plum compote from Austria is called  “Zwetschgenröster” in Austria. It is the traditional side dish that goes with  the popular “Kaiserschmarrn”, a sweet Austrian pan dish that is also well known in Germany.  In Germany we make compote (Kompott) almost from every fruit. It is delicious with Griessbrei (semolina pudding) or Vanilla or rice pudding. It makes a nice dessert: Vanilla pudding with compote.

If you cannot get the fresh Zwetschgen (Italian or Empress plums), use the ones from the jar. There are some European brands that are available in the USA such as the one from Bende. I mostly find these Italian plums on the local farmers market.
These plums they are a European-style plum (Prunica domestica) – small, dense, egg-shaped fruit with blue or purple skin, freestone pits (they separate easily from the flesh) and yellow flesh. These are the plums that are made into prunes. Happy Cooking!

Ingredients Plum Compote from Austria

500 g Zwetschgen (Italian plums, they are smaller than regular plums)
100 ml water (3.4 oz)
150 g sugar (optional) if plums are sweet, you can use less or no sugar
juice of 1 lemon
1 cinnamon stick or 1-2 tbsp cinnamon
3 cloves or ground cloves to taste, it’s strong so use rather less

Cooking Instructions Plum Compote

– Bring sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and cloves to a boil.
– Remove pit from plums and cut in halves; add to the liquid, bring to a boil, cover the pot, let them simmer until soft.
– Let compote cool off, add some more sugar or lemon juice to taste.

Serve it with the Austrian dish Kaiserschmarrn.

GO TO RECIPE KAISERSCHMARRN TYROL

The Kaiserschmarrn mix from Dr Oetker is an easy fix!