Roasted Strawberry Compote (Strawberry Cheesecake Sauce)

Roasted strawberry compote on a baking sheet with a vanilla pod.

5 from 2 votes

Roasted Strawberry Compote (Strawberry Cheesecake Sauce)

This easy strawberry compote for cheesecake and other desserts is a bit of a revelation. The fruit is gently roasted to create a spectacularly intense fruity flavour. This strawberry cheesecake sauce requires minimal effort and it can even be made with over-ripe fruit.

This recipe makes sufficient strawberry sauce to spoon over 7-inch cheesecake at the point of serving.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1

Total Time1 10

Course: Sauce/ Condiment

Cuisine: Worldwide

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 65kcal

Author: Jane Coupland

Ingredients

600 g/ 21 oz Fresh strawberries
4 tablespoon Caster sugar
1 Vanilla pod
1 teaspoon Orange blossom water (optional) or substitute ½ teaspoon rosewater

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 140°C/ 275°F/ GM1.
Remove the green stalks and roughly chop the strawberries - not too small.
Lay the strawberries onto a baking tin lined with baking parchment.
Spilt the vanilla pod and lay it over the strawberries.
Scatter the orange blossom water over the strawberries, followed by the sugar.
Roast for 60 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes until the liquid is beginning to thicken.
Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod and stir them the sauce.
Let cool and decant into a clean jar.
Store in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze immediately.

Notes

Don’t cut the fruit too small. Little berries should be halved, large ones quartered. Avoid chopping the fruit finely though.
Cut in different directions to give plenty of shape and texture to the sauce. Cut some horizontally, others vertically. Cut a few diagonally just for good measure.
Use a baking sheet with a lip to ensure the juicy sauce stays in the pan.
And choose a tin that is large enough for the fruit to lay in a single layer for even cooking.
Double or even triple the recipe if your baking tin allows.
Want a thicker strawberry cheesecake sauce? Just leave it to roast for an additional 15 minutes.
I’d advise against using frozen, or previously frozen, fruit in this recipe. The consistency of frozen strawberries is quite different to that of their fresh counterparts. Frozen strawberries are quite mushy and they do contain a lot of watery liquid. All in all, the sauce just wouldn’t be as tasty and may take much longer to cook to a thick consistency.
This strawberry cheesecake sauce is naturally nut-free, gluten-free and dairy-free. It also contains no products derived from animals so it’s also suitable for a vegan diet (assuming the sugar is vegan-friendly - not all is).

Freezing Instructions

Once cooled completely, give the strawberry sauce a good stir then decant into freezer-proof pots, seal, label and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before using.

Reheating Instructions

Do so either in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stovetop. Stir gently with a wooden spoon but avoid stirring too much as the fruit will break down.

Nutrition