Amit Sharma says the preserve can last upto three months. Pic/Sayed Sameer Abedi

Back in 2007, when Amit Sharma, patisserie owner and founder of Poetry by Love & Cheesecake, started his career as a chef, one of the first techniques he learnt was preserving fruit. "During the strawberry season, we used to make preserves so that it we could use them in summers too. It was essentially a way of extending the shelf life of the fruit," he says. The rich, luscious comport - fruit that has been stewed in sugar syrup and other flavouring - would then be used in jams, cupcakes, tarts and waffles. "The method is defined by versatility. It can be applied to any fruit," says Sharma, who has experimented with oranges, apples and even dried fig and apricot.