Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces (1/2 cup) light dry white wine like pinot grigio
1/4 cup hearty broth or stock of choice (If you’re cooking chicken, use chicken broth, etc.)
1 shallot, minced
6 inch celery stalk, minced
1 and 1/2 tsp fresh or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup blueberry jalapeno preserves or piquante preserves like pepper jelly
Zest of 1/2 lemon, removed in long strips with a vegetable peeler, then minced (Resist the urge to use a fancy microplane or zester. I’m not sure why, but this method produces a much bigger burst of flavor.)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar, or more if you prefer a sweeter compote
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
At least two cups of fresh blueberries (I have never cooked with frozen blueberries, but there’s no reason they shouldn’t work here)
1/4 teaspoon each freshly ground sea salt and pepper (a little less salt if you use table salt)
1 tablespoon COLD whipped or 1/2 tablespoon block butter
Preparation
Once you’ve finished cooking your cut of meat (chicken, pork, steak), remove it from the skillet and set it aside to rest. Over medium heat, add wine, broth, and oil to the skillet, use a stiff spatula to scrape the brown bits off the pan bottom, and heat for about 2 minutes or until simmering. With a non-reactive spoon, stir in shallot, celery, thyme and zest and cook until vegetables are soft and slightly caramelized, about 5 minutes, adding more broth if mixture begins to lose moisture too quickly. Then stir in garlic, salt, and pepper, and saute’ until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Next stir or whisk in preserves, vinegar, sugar, mustard, and berries, and cook until about half of the berries burst and mixture is bubbling, about 10 minutes. Lower fire slightly and simmer until compote thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Stir in butter slowly until melted. Serve over your cut of choice. The juice released in your mouth by the whole berries is such a nice, decadent surprise.
