BLACK AND BLUE COMPOTE

A berry-studded sauce for waffles, pancakes, ice cream, or custards. It's also delicious stirred into yogurt.

3 cups blueberries, picked over
3 cups blackberries (or boysenberries), picked over
1 cup plus 2 tbsp cold water, divided use
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp cornstarch
fresh lemon juice

Place the blueberries, blackberries, and 1 cup of cold water in a heavy saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, until the berries are softened slightly, 5 to 10 minutes.

Uncover and add the brown and white sugars, corn syrup, and salt. Return the mixture to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a cup or small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and the remaining 2 Tbsp cold water until smooth. Add this mixture to the saucepan, stirring. Simmer until the compote has lightly thickened and the berries are tender, about 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat.

When compote has cooled slightly, add lemon juice to taste.

Serve warm or cold.

Servings: 4
Source: From the Farmers' Market: Wonderful Things to Do With Fresh-From-The-Farm Food With Recipes and Recollections from Farm Kitchens by Richard Sax, Sandra Gluck