Spiced Apple Cranberry Compote

My friend Bill has Celiac's Disease, so whenever there is a potluck at work, he has a hard time finding deserts to eat since so many of them are baked goods with wheat products. For our recent Christmas potluck I made a fruit compote to serve with ice cream and it was a big hit. As I still had a lot of ingredients for it in the house, I made it again to take over to a party at a friend's house.  The most notable Costco ingredient was the dried cranberries, or Craisins, as Ocean Spray calls them. We always have at least one open bag in the house and another in reserve.

Another Costco product of note used in this is Kirkland Signature Clover Honey. It is "True Source Certified" and a great value.

The recipe comes from the book "Best-Loved Slow Cooker Recipes" by Donna Marie Pye, published by Publications International. The recipe is as follows:

• 2 1/2 cups cranberry juice cocktail
• 6 ounces dried apples
• 1/2 dried cranberries (Craisins from Costco)
• 1/2 cup Rhine wine or Apple Juice
• 1/2 cup honey (Kirkland Signature Clover Honey)
• 2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
• Ice cream for serving
• Additional cinnamon sticks (optional)

Just mix everything together in the crockpot and cook on Low for 4 to 5 hours until the fruit is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove the cinnamon sticks and serve with ice cream.

I wish I had a better photo of this, but people started wolfing it down, including me, and I forgot to take a photo until it was mostly eaten.

This is a really lovely compote that is easy to make and even easier to eat. And it is a great cold weather food. The cinnamon adds a nice, warm flavor and odor to the dish and there is also a little tang from the cranberries and the cranberry juice in the dish.  And since it is a slow cooker dish, the return on investment for your effort is phenomenal.  I have already made this dish more than once and I am positive I will make it again. And I may serve it with something besides ice cream, because it is so darn tasty and heart warming in cold weather.