Spiced Heirloom Tomato Compote

It’s wine snack Wednesday, and this is a simple, must-share little treat that went perfectly with our dry Riesling tasting. I know it’s fall and all, but heirloom tomatoes might be around a tiny bit longer; if you find some good ones, you will want to make this compote.

It’s an incredibly easy “recipe” that starts by roasting tomatoes until wrinkly and fragrant. You’ll know when they are done, just by looking at them. Once your tomatoes are ready, use a food mill or even scissors to really pulverize them into a puree. Take your tomato blend and put it in a sauce pan on low, and while stirring, add in a couple of teaspoons of sugar. This recipe is not exact; it’s all about your taste. A lot of the recipes I perused prior to cooking called for SO much sugar, which I just didn’t want to use. Instead, I stirred in about three teaspoons while the tomato puree was slowly simmering on the stove. To that, I added a teaspoon of Hungarian paprika, a pinch of cinnamon and about 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar. I stirred it all together and let it simmer until it cooked down a bit.

Once cool, I put in little jars to store. I didn’t jar these for long-term storage, but that is definitely something I would like to learn.

This spicy sweet, and savory compote was nice with a little Saint Andre triple crème cheese and a couple of pours of Riesling. The spice of the compote was delightful with the fruit flavors in the wine, and the creaminess of the cheese went well with the acidity of the wine; the fat was cut a little by some of those zippy Riesling flavors.

I love cooking for wine pairing, and I especially love when I find something super simple that we can enjoy on a weeknight. We’re learning more and more to savor each and every day of our lives, and mid-week mini celebrations are a great way to do it.

How do you savor the everyday moments, especially those draining weekdays?