Honey Habanero Compote

This recipe came together as two desert recipes that I'd been putting off making finally coalesced into one amazing, beautiful form. While most would think that the mint is just a garnish, it adds an incredible depth of flavor to this sweet and sometimes deceptively spicy compote paired with natural vanilla bean ice cream. It finally came to fruit-ion when a friend was having Taco Night and fried up some tortillas, which I'd been reluctant to do. I'd already made the syrup (from which I strained all the solids) for one of the deserts, so all there was left to be was to chop the fruit, put it together, and give it a little time to simmer and come together.

Spice Syrup
1/3 Cup Water
1/8 tsp Anise Seed
1 Cinnamon Stick
3 Cloves
1/2 A Lemon's Juice
Lemon Zest
2 Tbsp Honey

1 cup Fresh Blueberries
1 chopped Ripe Plum
1 Habanero, seeded and diced

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Fried Tortillas
Peppermint Leaves