Fruit Compote with Ginger

Fruit Compote with Ginger

“Cold wind whipping outside? Grab a blanket and snuggle up with a serving of this warm fruit compote. The mixed fruit is slow-cooked with fresh ginger and served with toasted, flaked coconut making it the perfect after-dinner treat on cold night.”

Ingredients

  • 3 medium pears, peeled if desired, cored and cubed
  • 1 (15½ ounce) can pineapple chunks, undrained
  • ¾ cup dried apricots, quartered
  • 3 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
  • 1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger or ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2 cups frozen unsweetened pitted dark sweet cherries
  • ¼ cup flaked coconut, toasted (see Tip)

Directions

  • 1In a 3½- or 4-quart slow cooker, combine pear, undrained pineapple, dried apricots orange juice concentrate, tapioca and ginger (see Tip).
  • 2Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 4 hours. Stir in cherries at the end.
  • 3To serve, spoon warm compote into dessert dishes. Top with coconut.
Golden Pineapple Sorbet

Golden Pineapple Sorbet

“The low acid and high sugar content make the golden variety of pineapple perfect for freezing. This extraordinarily refreshing 97-calorie dessert is perfect for serving guests as a dessert or light snack.”

Ingredients

  • 1 large whole fresh pineapple
  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar

Directions

  • 1Halve pineapple lengthwise; remove fruit. Remove and discard pineapple core. Chop pineapple.
  • 2Place chopped pineapple in a blender container with lime juice and sugar; cover. Blend for 2 minutes or until mixture is completely smooth. Press through a strainer; you should have about 3 cups puree.
  • 3Transfer mixture to a 2-quart ice cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer’s directions (see Tip). Allow to ripen for 4 hours. Freeze.
  • 4To serve, scoop into chilled dessert dishes or frozen pineapple shells.
Banana Split Tarts

Banana Split Tarts

“Ready in just five minutes, this dessert for one is super-satisfying.”

Ingredients

  • 3 thin slices banana
  • 1 medium strawberry, cut into thirds
  • 3 baked miniature phyllo dough shells
  • 1½ teaspoons sugar-free chocolate-flavor syrup

Directions

  • 1Place a banana slice and strawberry slice in each phyllo shell. Drizzle each with ½ teaspoon chocolate syrup.
Coconut-Lime Watermelon Granita

Coconut-Lime Watermelon Granita

“This summer treat is anything but typical. You get a little sweet, savory, and zest in each bite.”

Ingredients

  • 1 11.2-ounce bottle coconut water
  • 3 tablespoons sugar (see Tip)
  • 1 lime
  • 4 cups cubed watermelon
  • Unsweetened flaked coconut, toasted (optional)

Directions

  • 1In a small saucepan, bring coconut water and sugar just to boiling; cool.
  • 2Remove ½ teaspoon zest, and squeeze 2 tablespoons juice from lime. In a blender or food processor combine coconut water mixture and watermelon; cover and blend or process until smooth. Strain into a bowl through a fine-mesh sieve. Stir lime zest and juice into pureed melon. Transfer to a 3-quart rectangular baking dish.
  • 3Freeze 2 hours, stirring and scraping frozen mixture from sides of dish every 30 minutes. Cover and freeze, without stirring, 6 hours or until firm. Let stand at room temperature 5 minutes. To serve, scrape across surface with a metal spoon or fork. If desired, top servings with coconut and/or additional lime zest.