Compote of winter fruits with caramelised pecan nuts, crème fraîche and crisp fried tortillas

Method

1. Soak the dried fruit in cold water overnight, then drain.

2. Place the soaked fruit in a saucepan, add the vanilla pod and enough cold water to just cover the fruit.

3. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the fruit is tender. Strain the fruit, reserving the cooking liquid, and set aside, discarding the vanilla pod.

4. Return the cooking liquid and cook briskly, reducing the liquid until thick and syrupy. Return the fruit to the syrup and set aside.

5. To make the caramelised pecan nuts, heat the sugar and water in a pan. When the sugar has dissolved, raise the temperature and boil, without stirring, until the syrup thickens into a golden caramel.

6. Remove at once from the heat and very carefully add in a little water to stop the caramel from burning.

7. Return the pan to the heat, adding in the nuts and a little more water to make a runny sauce.

8. To make the crisp fried tortillas, finely shred the plain wheat tortillas. Heat the vegetable oil in a work or deep fat-fryer to 180°C. Add in the shredded tortillas and fry until crisp and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain well on kitchen paper and dust with icing sugar.

9. Serve the dried fruit compote in a bowl, spooning over the caramelised pecans and topping with crème fraîche and crisp tortillas.