Fix-It and Forget-It Christmas Cookbook (122 page)

1. Layer fruit in order given in slow cooker.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together brown sugar, cornstarch, and spices. Slowly stir in juice. Pour over fruit.

3. Cover. Cook on High 2 hours. Serve warm or chilled.

Note from Tester:

Cranberries were out of season when I tested the recipe, so I used 1 cup craisins instead. Excellent results!

Fruit Compote

Janet Batdorf

Harrisburg, PA

Makes 5 servings

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 6 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.

1 qt. canned peach slices with juice

1 cup dried apricots

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup water

1 tsp. grated orange peel

⅓ cup orange juice

½ tsp. grated lemon peel

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

16-oz. can pitted dark sweet cherries, drained

1. Combine peaches with their juice, apricots, brown sugar, water, orange peel, orange juice, lemon peel, and lemon juice in slow cooker.

2. Cover. Cook on Low 6 hours.

3. Fifteen minutes before end of cooking time, stir in cherries. Cover. Cook 15 more minutes.

Serving suggestion: Serve over
ice cream
or
pound cake
, or alongside a plate of
cookies
.

Festive Fruit Compote

Maryann Markano

Wilmington, DE

Makes 10-12 servings

Prep. Time: 10-15 minutes

Cooking Time: 3-8 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.

1 lb. dried prunes

1⅓ cups dried apricots

13½-oz. can pineapple chunks, undrained

16-oz. can pitted dark sweet cherries, undrained

¼ cup dry white wine

2 cups water

1. Place all ingredients in slow cooker.

2. Cover. Cook on Low 7-8 hours or on High 3-4 hours.

3. Serve warm.

Note:

You can substitute other dried fruits in place of the prunes and apricots.

Fruit Dessert Topping

Lavina Hochstedler

Grand Blanc, MI

Makes 6 cups

Prep. Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 3½-4¾ hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 3½-qt.

3 tart apples, peeled and sliced

3 pears, peeled and sliced

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

½ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup maple syrup

half a stick (4 Tbsp.) butter, melted

½ cup chopped pecans

¼ cup raisins

2 cinnamon sticks

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

2 Tbsp. cold water

1. Toss apples and pears in lemon juice in slow cooker.

2. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, maple syrup, and butter. Pour over fruit.

3. Stir in pecans, raisins, and cinnamon sticks.

4. Cover. Cook on Low 3-4 hours.

5. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into slow cooker.

6. Cover. Cook on High 30-40 minutes, or until fruit thickens.

7. Discard cinnamon sticks.

Serving suggestion: Serve over
pound cake
or
ice cream
.

Note:

We also like this served along with pancakes or an egg casserole. We always use Fruit Topping for our breakfasts at church camp.

Wagon Master Apple-Cherry Sauce

Sharon Timpe

Mequon, WI

Makes 12-15 servings

Prep. Time: 5-10 minutes

Cooking Time: 3-4 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 3½-qt.

2 21-oz. cans apple pie filling

2-3 cups frozen tart red cherries

1 Tbsp. butter

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

⅛ tsp. ground ginger

⅛ tsp. ground cloves

1. Combine all ingredients except whipped cream in slow cooker.

2. Cover. Heat on Low 3-4 hours, or until mixture is hot and bubbly. Stir occasionally.

Serving suggestion: Serve warm over
vanilla ice cream
,
pudding
,
pound cake
, or
shortcake biscuits
. Top with
whipped cream
or
whipped topping
if you wish.

Curried Fruit

Jane Meiser

Harrisonburg, VA

Makes 8-10 servings

Prep. Time: 10 minutes

Marinating Time: 2-8 hours

Cooking Time: 8-10 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 3½- to 4-qt.

1 can peaches, cut into chunks and undrained

1 can apricots, cut into chunks and undrained

1 can pears, cut into chunks and undrained

1 large can pineapple chunks, undrained

1 can black cherries, undrained

½ cup brown sugar

1 tsp. curry powder

3-4 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca, depending upon how thick you’d like the finished dish to be

butter,
optional

1. Combine fruit in slow cooker. Let stand without heating for at least 2 hours, or up to 8 hours, to allow flavors to blend.

2. Drain off juices.

3. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Top with butter chunks, if you wish.

4. Cover. Cook on Low 8-10 hours.

5. Serve warm or at room temperature.