The Sunday Stash is a large batch of one simple, easy-to-make food that can be mix-and-matched with meat, vegetables, grains, and pasta to create meals throughout the week (or, if frozen, the month).
Big-batch cooking isn't just about spaghetti sauce or beans or hard-boiled eggs. Today, we're making something sweet and seasonal: strawberry compote. Perfect for using up fruit foraged on an overly ambitious strawberry-picking trip (or Costco run), this simple, chunky fruit purée can be transformed into sweets, breakfasts, and snacks all week long.
To make it, you only need four ingredients: strawberries, sugar, salt, and a lemon (zest and juice—or you can swap in a vanilla bean for the zest). Everything is simmered together until thickened and jammy, which takes about 40 to 45 minutes.
The recipe calls for four pounds of strawberries, which yields about six cups. The compote can be divided into smaller containers and frozen for up to three months, or kept in the fridge for up to a week—if you don't gobble it up before then. I love a small bowl of it on its own for dessert, but there are so many other ways to use it:
1. Spread it on toast
You'll want to use nice, thick slices of bread for this—think challah or a crusty country loaf. Toast (or pan-fry) and liberally butter the bread and schmear a hefty dollop of compote over the top.
2. Make frozen yogurt pops
Combine strawberry compote and plain whole-milk yogurt in a large bowl and pour into popsicle molds. Or spoon alternating layers of compote and yogurt into the molds for a lovely swirled look.
3. Add it to a smoothie
Throw a few spoonfuls into the blender with some milk, yogurt, cinnamon, and a couple tablespoons of quick-cooking oats for an easy, healthy breakfast.
4. Serve it over pound cake
A slice of pound cake, a layer of compote, and a dollop of freshly whipped cream and you've got yourself the world's easiest strawberry shortcake.
5. Pair it with pancakes ore waffles
Warm a little compote in a small saucepan and pour over buttermilk pancakes or homemade waffles for an instant brunch upgrade.
6. Turn it into a crisp
Use the compote as the base for a homemade crisp using our no-recipe-required method. Since the fruit is already sweetened, you can skip that step and just cover it with the buttery crumble topping before baking.
7. Layer it with yogurt and granola
Another simple but healthy breakfast: a bowl (or, if you're feeling fancy, parfait glass) filled with layers of yogurt, strawberry compote, and homemade granola.
8. Turn it into turnovers
Top squares of store-bought puff pastry with compote, fold into triangles, and bake to make exceptionally easy—but extremely impressive—strawberry turnovers.
9. Add to your favorite cocktail or nonalcoholic drink
Make our favorite margarita-rosé combo by shaking up a couple of spoonfuls of compote with tequila, lemon juice, rosé, and an ice cube. (Or try this more adventurous yogurt-and-gin number.) If non-drinkers in your house are asking for a special drink of their own, have them spoon a bit into a glass and then top off with seltzer; finish with a strawberry perched on the glass as garnish.
10. Spoon it over ice cream
It doesn't get any simpler—or more delicious—than this: a scoop of vanilla, a spoonful of compote.
