Exact quantities, then the method.
This is a spiced stewed apple, the sort of thing to spoon over a crumble or a bowl of ice cream, made with Dragonfly Organic Cape Chai Rooibos as the cooking liquid. Brewing the chai strong and using it to stew the apples is a neat shortcut: you get cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and clove all at once, already in balance, without reaching for half a dozen spice jars.
Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the Chai-Spiced Apple Compote recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/cocktails/chai-spiced-apple-compote/
The apples soften in the spiced syrup but keep their shape, so it stays a proper compote rather than a sauce. It is good warm over an apple crumble, over vanilla ice cream, stirred into yoghurt or porridge, or used to fill a little tart, and it keeps for a few days in the fridge.
You'll need
- 2 Dragonfly Organic Cape Chai Rooibos pyramid bags
- 150ml freshly drawn water, brought to a true rolling boil
- 4 medium eating apples (Cox, Braeburn or Pink Lady), peeled, cored and chopped into 2cm pieces (about 500g prepared)
- 60g soft light brown sugar or muscovado sugar
- 30g unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp golden syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or 1/2 tsp natural vanilla extract)
- Juice of half a lemon
- A small pinch of fine sea salt
Method
- Bring the kettle to a full rolling boil, put the two Cape Chai bags in a small heatproof jug, pour over the 150ml of water, cover and steep for ten minutes for a strong concentrate.
- Lift out the bags, pressing each firmly against the side to get every drop, and discard. You should have around 120ml of dark spiced concentrate.
- Meanwhile, peel, core and chop the apples into 2cm pieces, holding them in a bowl of water with a squeeze of lemon to stop them browning. Drain before using.
- Melt the butter in a medium heavy-based pan over a medium heat until it foams, tip in the drained apples and stir to coat. Cook for two minutes, until they start to soften at the edges.
- Add the brown sugar and golden syrup and stir for a minute until the sugar dissolves and the apples turn glossy.
- Pour in the hot chai concentrate, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. It will bubble up briefly as the liquid hits the hot pan.
- Stir in the vanilla paste, the rest of the lemon juice and the pinch of salt.
- Bring to a gentle simmer, then turn the heat low, cover, and cook for eight to ten minutes, stirring once, until the apples are tender to a knife tip but still hold their chunks. Do not let them collapse to mush.
- Take off the heat and rest for five minutes; the syrup thickens around the apples as it cools a little.
- Use it warm: over a crumble before the topping goes on, over ice cream, through yoghurt or porridge, or in a small tart. Keep the rest in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to five days.
The tea it is made with, and what to make next.
Want the background, not just the brew?
Brewed with: Dragonfly Organic Cape Chai Rooibos, 40 Tea Bags 80g
Rate it, keep it, add to it.
Made this? Rate it.
Tell us how it came out. A star rating and a line or two helps the next person who makes it.
Sign in to rate +5 to 25 reward points · sign-in required
The whole recipe as a PDF. Print it for the kitchen, or keep it on your phone for when you are offline.
Got something to add? Logged-in customers can submit additions to the Tea Wiki, admin-approved, your name on the byline, plus reward points.
Sign in to contribute