Fruity Breakfast - Strawberry Compote

I didn't have any whip cream or cherries or this would have been prettier.

 
A nice addition to a bagel breakfast, this strawberry compote is really flexible and easy to make up. You can make a sugar free version by substituting apple juice for the water or adding splenda or Stevia instead of the sugar. Neither holds it's sweetness well when heated up, but it does help allay the tartness of the strawberries. You can use frozen or fresh strawberries. Either way they go mushy when you cook them. You also don't have to use lemons. I was out of lemons so I used a tangerine. You can also use lime or orange juice as well. The flavor is good either way.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound strawberries
• Juice of one orange, lemon, or lime
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 1/4 cup water

Directions:

I use a pie server to scrape the bottom of the pan during
heating to keep it from sticking and burning.

1. Cut up strawberries and place in pot
2. Add citrus juice 
3. Add sweetner
4. Add corn starch
5. Add water
6. Stir over medium heat for 5 to 15 minutes. Stir constantly to prevent burning and sticking to the pot. Bring to a slow boil till the mixture thickens

Serving suggestions:

Tastes great served over waffles, pancakes, bagels, or toast with a bit of whip cream on top if you'd like. If you want to be terribly fancy, add a cherry on top of the whip cream. In the picture above I've served it with cream cheese on a bagel.  You can double, triple, quadruple or more the recipe if you're serving a potluck breakfast with waffles or pancakes to a bunch of hungry academy choir members. Makes a great alternative to syrup. At least you get a little fruit in there that way.

Tom