Fruit, Poached and Marinated

By Martha Rose Shulman

Total Time: You can poach the bananas several hours before serving.
Rating: 4(11)
Notes: Read community notes

Fruit compotes make great compromise desserts; they’re sweet, but not as sweet as sorbets, and like sorbets they don’t require flour, butter or pastry skills. I didn’t develop any kind of knack for pastry until I began collaborating with pastry chefs on their cookbooks, but for years I managed to round out my dinner parties with fruit-based desserts(though the children of my friend Clifford Wright used to roll their eyes when I brought dessert – “She doesn’t bring dessert, she brings fruit,” they’d say).

I revisited some of those desserts this week, particularly various fruits poached in wine, and I still find them delightful. I find that I’m sometimes negligent about eating fruit in the colder months, but not when I have some wine-poached pears, bananas or prunes in the refrigerator. I am as likely to stir the fruit, with its luscious syrup, into my morning yogurt as to eat it for dessert, andthe compotes are good keepers.

Early spring is an in-between time for fruit. Stone fruits aren’t ready yet and it’s not really apple, pear or citrus season either, though all of those fall-winter fruits are still available. I poached pears in red wine and bananas in white wine, and used dried fruits for two of my compotes, prunes poached in red wine and a dried-fruit compote to which I also added a fresh apple and pear. For the last compote of the week I combined blood oranges and pink grapefruit in arefreshing citrus-caramel syrup, and topped the fruit with pomegranate seeds. Even if my friend’s kids wouldn’t agree, this was definitely dessert.

Bananas Poached in Vanilla-Scented Chardonnay

Summary:Don’t overcook the bananas in this easy dish, and you’ll be rewarded with a fragrant, delicious dessert.

I am usually not one forbananas in desserts, but this, if you’re careful not to overcook the bananas, is heavenly. Years ago, in the early days of my career as a vegetarian caterer, I made it often; it was one of my most requested desserts. These days I’m as likely to spoon some of the bananas with their fragrant syrup into a bowl of morning yogurt as I am to serve it after a meal.

Featured in: Turning Up the Heat on Fruit

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Ingredients

Yield:Serves 6 to 8

2cups chardonnay
1vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
⅓cup mild honey, such as clover
1cinnamon stick
½cup golden raisins or currants
½cup dried apples (optional)
Juice of 1 lemon
3 to 4firm but ripe bananas
½teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼cup lightly toasted slivered almonds
Plain yogurt or whipped cream for topping, if desired

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Pour chardonnay into a medium saucepan. Using the tip of a paring knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean halves into wine and add pods. Add honey, cinnamon stick, raisins or currants, and dried apples and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes.
Step 2
Meanwhile, fill a bowl with water and add lemon juice. Peel bananas; cut them in half lengthwise and then in 2-inch pieces, and immediately place in the acidulated water. (This prevents bananas from discoloring.)
Step 3
Drain bananas and add to simmering wine. Add nutmeg. Returnmixture to a simmer, cover and simmer 5 more minutes. Remove from heat. Add almonds. Remove cinnamon stick and if you wish, add a little more nutmeg. Serve warm, topped with whipped cream or plain yogurt if desired.