Tropical Fruit Compote

Based on a recipe from Heidi Haughy Cusick’s book, Soul and Spice, African Cooking in the Americas. This book is chock-filled with Caribbean, Bahia Brazilian, and Louisiana Creole recipes. She says, “The plethora of fruit available year-round for the picking contributes to its popularity as dessert all over the Caribbean. Here is a recipe that combines tropical fruits with a syrupy glaze of rum-flavored guava jelly. It is inspired by one that appeared in an old recipe collection from the island of St. Vincent. For a special occasion, serve the compote over Banana Coconut Bread and top it with a little whipped cream.” I haven’t tried this yet.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 10-12

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons sugar
• 1⁄2 cup guava jelly
• 1  orange, grated zest of
• 1⁄2 cup water
• 2  tablespoons rum
• 8  cups  fruit, cubed (such as pineapple, mango, orange, banana, papaya, lychee, watermelon, melons)
•  dried shredded coconut

Directions

1. Combine sugar, guava jelly, orange zest, and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil 1-2 minutes.
2. Strain and cool, then stir in the rum.
3. Arrange cubed fruits in a serving bowl. Pour the cooled guava mixture over the fruit and gently toss to mix using a wooden spoon.
4. Chill until ready to serve.
5. Garnish with dried coconut.