SPIKED CRANBERRY COMPOTE

HEY!
   It's that time of year! The holidays are right around the corner. One of my most favorite holidays has to be Thanksgiving. It focuses on family, gratitude, traditions and food. One of my family's Thanksgiving food traditions is cranberries. Growing up, we always had on the table the classic canned jellied cranberries. You know what I'm talking about. I learned you had to be strategic in how to open the can in order to perfectly remove the cranberries from the can while still maintaining the shape.

Now, I will be honest, I was never a fan of these jellied cranberries. But, I love a good jam or compote. So, as I began cooking more, this was one of the Thanksgiving traditions that I wanted to re-create. Keep reading for the recipe. 

Cranberries are small, but mighty. They are nutritional powerhouse. Cranberries are a good source of Vitamin C and fiber as well as anthocyanins and phytonutrients. One of the most well known benefits of cranberries is that they are good for our urinary tracts, which is true. They are also anti-inflammatory and . 

Canned Jellied cranberries are high in sugar. The ingredients on the can are: cranberries, high fructose corn syrup, water and corn syrup. So most of the sugar comes from added sugar. Check out this post to learn more about added sugars. 

My cranberry compote recipe does include sugar. One of the main reasons for adding sugar to this compote is because cranberries are pretty tart and the sugar helps to reduce the tart flavor. I also use apple juice and applesauce as sweeteners to reduce the amount of added sugar to the recipe. Adding these increase the amount of natural sugars and the fiber content. (You won’t find much fiber in the canned version.) 

Stay tuned for additional ways to eat this cranberry compote. 

SPIKED CRANBERRY COMPOTE

INGREDIENTS:​​

• 1-12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries
• 1 tablespoon orange zest (save some for garnish)
• 1/2 large orange, juice
• 1-4 ounce cup of unsweetened applesauce
• 2/3 cup of apple juice
• 1/2 cup red wine* 
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar, honey or maple syrup
• 1 cinnamon stick

​DIRECTIONS:

1. Put all ingredients into a saucepan over high heat.
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer (medium heat) and cook until cranberries burst and thicken, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. 
4. Garnish with orange zest.
5. Can serve warm or chilled. 

*Note: 

• I used Mark West Pinot Noir, but use your favorite wine. The alcohol cooks out, but the flavor remains so make sure you like the flavor of the wine. 
• I highly recommend covering with a splatter guard because the cranberries pop and burst during the cooking. If you don't have a splatter guard, cover loosely with a lid.

What are your favorite ways to use cranberries in the fall? Share in the comments below or by using the hashtag #MealPlanningMethod. 


christy