It's been a good year for wild blueberries and I've been putting them up every which way. A trusty recipe from my days working garde manger / pantry station is a simple sweet and sour blueberry sauce aigre-doux. Think of it as a tart homemade blueberry compote. Flavored with ginger, homemade fruit vinegar, wine and a splash of maple syrup, It can be made sweet or savory and used on everything from cheesecake to venison steaks.
What is Aigre Doux?
While it might sound fancy, aigre-doux (pronounced aygruh-doo) simply means sweet and sour in French. Sweetened with a splash of maple syrup, balanced with vinegar and wine that add a rich, tart flavor. The acid also makes the sauce shelf-stable if you want to can it and store in a pantry.
While I use wild blueberries here, you can use lots of different fruit, or a mix of different berries instead of just blueberries. In the winter I'll make fruit compote with frozen berries.
How to Make it
Basically, just simmer fresh or frozen blueberries with wine, vinegar, maple syrup and herbs until it's thick and syrupy. You can tweak the flavors many different ways I'll go over after the walkthrough. For example, try using blueberry juice instead of wine for sweet versions.
If you want a more savory condiment, start by sweating finely diced shallots in a pan with a drizzle of oil. If you want a compote to serve with cheesecake, pancakes, or another dessert, leave the shallots out and refer to the recipe notes. Next vinegar is added and reduced by half. This is the perfect place to use homemade fruit scrap vinegar.
After the vinegar is reduced the blueberries are added to the pan, warmed through and gently crushed with a spoon to help thicken the sauce. Next, add a splash of maple syrup and a cup of wine (or blueberry juice for sweet versions!), grated ginger and a pinch of allspice, if you like.
Everything is brought to a simmer and reduced until the sauce is thick and lightly coats the back of a spoon.
If you want it thick like a traditional compote, reduce it until you can see the trail a spoon leaves in the pan. Once You're happy with the consistency, add some grated lemon zest and juice to taste.
Variations
- Add fresh herbs at the end or during cooking like fresh mint, basil, lemon verbena or lemon thyme. I like fresh thyme for savory versions.
- Add lemon, orange zest, or a combination of the two at the end of cooking.
- Add finely julienned, orange zest and lemon zest cut into ½ inch pieces, blanched in boiling water for 1 minute.
- Add fresh cracked pepper and grated ginger for fruity heat that compliments the flavor of blueberries.
- Add finely diced fresno chilis or other smoked peppers for a spicy, savory version.
- Add honey instead of maple syrup for sweet or savory versions.
- Simmer a 2 inch piece of cleaned, roasted shagbark hickory bark in the syrup for a smoky version.
- Add bone broth or demi-glace for a refined French restaurant version.
How to Use Blueberry Compote
You can put the juicy, sweet-tart blueberries on just about anything. Savory or sweet versions are great with cheese, particularly soft cheeses like the Donnay chevre pictured below. I love garnishing it with scarlet bee balm flowers that have a fruity kick.
One Italian chef I worked for showed me to make venison steaks with a red wine blueberry sauce. If you serve the sauce hot you can whisk in a tablespoon of unsalted butter at the end for a velvety texture.
Sweet versions are great with anything creamy, and basically anywhere you'd use blueberries. Pancakes, ice cream, cheesecake, custards, French toast, yogurt, granola, and many other things.
This week for a private dinner I made dulce de leche-coconut milk pot du cremes topped with the blueberry compote and toasted coconut for crunch. I used goat milk since the couple couldn't have cow dairy, and duck egg yolks for a rich, velvety texture. It got rave reviews.
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Sweet and Sour Blueberry Compote (Sauce Aigre Doux)
Equipment
- 1 10 inch stainless steel saute pan or another non-reactive pan.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 oz shallot (1 small shallot or two tablespoons) optional-omit for a sweet sauce
- 2 cups (8oz) wild blueberries fresh or frozen
- ½ cup rice wine vinegar or homemade fruit vinegar
- 1 cup dry red wine use blueberry juice for a sweet compote
- 1 pinch of kosher salt
- 5-10 grinds of fresh black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Grated fresh ginger
- 1 whole Lemon, orange, or both for zest and juice
- 1 pinch ground allspice ⅛th teaspoon
- ¼ cup maple syrup honey or brown sugar
Instructions
- Heat the shallot if using in the oil and cook on medium heat until soft, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the vinegar, bring to a simmer and reduce by half, then add the blueberries and warm them through.
- Gently crush the blueberries with the back of a spoon.
- Add the wine (or blueberry juice for a sweet sauce), maple syrup, grated ginger, pinch of salt and allspice,
- Cook at a brisk simmer until the liquid has reduced and coats the back of a spoon, taste and adjust the seasoning until it tastes good to you, about 15 minutes.
- Add the grated lemon zest, 1-2 teaspoons of lemon juice, and any herbs if using to taste.
- Transfer the sauce to a container like a mason jar, cool and refrigerate.
- For a thick, traditional compote for serving with desserts, reduce the mixture until the pan is nearly dry, then turn the heat off and cool the compote in the pan.
- As it contains vinegar, the finished blueberry compote will last for months in the refrigerator. You can also can it and process in a water bath.
Video
Notes
- This is a tart sauce. The sweetest version, and the blueberry compote I'd make to serve with cheesecake will use ¼ cup vinegar, ½ cup blueberry juice, and ½ cup red wine.
- Control the thickness of the sauce by reducing it more. If you want it juicy, keep it wet, if you want it thick and jammy, reduce it more.
- Spices like allspice are great here, but you can also add a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg or cloves.
- Fresh herbs add a great flavor for both sweet and savory versions, especially basil and lemon thyme. Add them at the end of cooking off the heat for the best flavor.
Susan
Thank you for this recipe! It's so challenging to find savory fruit recipes.
I was gifted a bottle of locally made Blueberry Habanero sauce and it's too strong to use alone. This sauce is so delicious, I might not even splash in the other one as originally planned. These are about to be the BEST Baby Back Ribs I ever made!
Alan Bergo
Hey Susan I'm so glad you liked it.
Melanie Drecksel
I can't wait to try this and your other blueberry recipes. We have tons of blueberries and I am always looking for ways to use them. I never would have thought of adding vinegar to blueberries. Have you ever tried lime juice instead of lemon juice with blueberries? I find it gives a more interesting flavor. Thank you for sharing your recipes!
Alan Bergo
Hey thanks. Yes like is great. Come to think of it I should make a note of that. Thanks! In baked goods I do still prefer lemon.
Hortense
Amazing! Thank you, Alan!
Thea
Mouth-watering on all levels. I’ve made compote and shrub, but this is an entirely new inspiration. Thanks, Alan.
Alan Bergo
Thanks Thea.
Nancy
How much maple syrup?
Alan Bergo
Hey thanks Nancy. 1/4 cup honey, sugar or maple.
Phyllis Bergo
Sounds just wonderful, especially on venison steak!
Alan Bergo
Yeah it’s a fun one. One of my favorite low sugar preserves. 😊