Apple Cranberry Compote for Buckwheat Pancakes

Today seemed like a good pancake day, I decided to make buckwheat pancakes. Now, I don't eat pancakes all that often, but when I do, I prefer to eat them with some kind of fruit compote. The pancake is really the catalyst for eating the compote.

Since I had a few apples laying around, I decide to make some apple compote. Again, my measurements are never exact, so you may want to asses as your compote progresses. 

3 apples, cored and cut into squares

1/2 cup dried cranberries (if available)

1/2 cup sugar in the raw

2 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon, more if necessary

1 tbsp vanilla

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ginger

dash of salt

dash of corn starch

Gather all the ingredients, and organize. 

Core and cut the apples. Put the apples in a bowl, and stir in cinnamon, vanilla, brown sugar, maple syrup, and additional spices. 

Put the mixture in a saucepan on medium heat. Stir and add spices as needed. Add some water and corn starch to thicken the syrup. Check the apples for flavor. Add more spices as needed. 

Allow the apples to simmer and become a bit syrupy. Don't turn the heat up too high, but you want the flavors to meld and become like a syrup. Allow the apples to soften; cover and allow to steam. 

I had some dried cranberries on hand, and so I added them to the compote. I allow this to simmer for about 10 minutes or so, to let the cranberries reconstitute a bit. Stir continuously and check the consistency. 

While you are making the compote, when it is almost a texture that you could put on top of pancakes, you can start making the pancakes. I used a buckwheat pancake mix; I find that mixes are often easier than making from scratch, but they can be kind of devoid of flavor. I always add some cinnamon and nutmeg to flavor the actual pancakes. I also made some smoked bacon in the George Foreman, it's like magic - the fat just drips right off. The bacon is quite crispy and delicious.

When the pancakes are done, and the compote is ready, plate and serve. 

If you have left over pancakes, they freeze well and you can heat them up again in the toaster.