½ pound dried Turkish or other apricots 12 dried Turkish or California small figs ½ cup golden raisins ¼ cup dark raisins ¼ teaspoon whole allspice berries 2 firm medium-sized Bosc pears, peeled, cored, and sliced ½ cup honey or sugar ½ cup blanched almonds ½ teaspoon vanilla extract seeds from 1 large pomegranate 2 tablespoons rose water
Thoroughly rinse the apricots and figs in cold water. Put the apricots in one medium saucepan and the figs in another. Add cold water to cover fruit by an inch. Add the raisins to the pan of apricots and the allspice berries to the pan of figs. Place each pan over medium heat, bring to a boil, and then simmer until the fruit is tender. The time varies depending on the dryness of the fruit, but plan on 20–30 minutes for the apricots and 30–45 minutes for the figs.
In another pan, put the pears, honey or sugar, almonds, vanilla, and one cup of cold water. (If the water doesn’t cover the pears, add a little more.) Bring to a simmer and cook until the pears are tender—about 8–12 minutes depending on the ripeness of the pears. Allow them to cool in the liquid.
Transfer the pears and liquid to a shallow glass bowl.
Add a few of the pomegranate seeds. Remove the apricots, raisins, and figs from their liquid with a slotted spoon and add them to the pears. Add about half the remaining pomegranate seeds and a tablespoon of rose water; then gently stir to mingle the fruit. Finally, sprinkle the remaining pomegranate seeds and the other tablespoon of rose water on top of the compote and serve. This is best at room temperature or even lukewarm, rather than chilled. Serves 6.