Cranberry Fig Compote and Cranberry Coffee Cake - a #ThanksgivingWeek threefer by Leslie Budewitz

LESLIE BUDEWITZ:  It’s not often that one recipe serves as the basis for two fabulous follow-up recipes, each terrific. That’s what happened when we made this classic balsamic cranberry fig compote as a side for our Thanksgiving turkey breast last year, then used some of the leftovers in place of fresh cranberries in a coffee cake, the hit of our annual holiday brunch. The bowl wasn’t quite empty, so we combined the last compote with whipped goat cheese for a terrific spread. In truth, any cranberry sauce would do, but we love figs—and so did our guests! 

As I was typing up the coffee cake recipe, I had to laugh at the reference to large eggs. Commercial eggs are graded and sold by size and weight, but we buy eggs from a neighbor with chickens, and size varies. Now and then, I see a truly large egg and think that must have really hurt to lay! 

Whether you make one, two, or all three recipes, we here at Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen are grateful for your friendship and readership, and wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving! (A month late for our Canadian friends!) 

PS: I finally figured out how to embed a PDF of the recipe for easy printing. 

Scroll down to the 💕 for the link. 

Cranberry Fig Compote 

1 cup water

1 orange, zested and juiced 

1 cup dried figs. chopped

1 cup sugar

1 cinnamon stick

10-12 ounce bag cranberries, fresh or frozen (no need to thaw)

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Pinch of salt

In a 3 quart saucepan, bring water to a boil. Remove from heat, and stir in the orange juice and figs. Let stand 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Return the pan to medium-high heat. Add the sugar and cinnamon stick and bring to a boil. Stir in the cranberries. Reduce heat and simmer until the figs are soft and the cranberries have begun to pop. Remove from heat. 

Stir in the vinegar, zest, and salt. Cool completely. Note that it will thicken as it cools.

Store leftovers in a tightly sealed jar, in the refrigerator, up to 3 weeks. 

Makes about 2 cups.

Cranberry Coffee Cake with Cranberry Fig Compote

For the cake:

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt (preferably Diamond)

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1-3/4 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs 

zest of one lemon

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

1 cup leftover cranberry sauce or compote

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or milk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a standard, 10 cup Bundt pan. 

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In your stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat. Add the lemon zest and vanilla and mix well. Add the flour mixture a cup at a time, alternating with sour cream, mixing on low until well combined. 

Spoon half the batter into the prepared pan. Add the cranberry compote or sauce in an even layer. 

Top with remaining batter.

Bake 55-60 minutes, until top is golden and a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool in the pan 10-15 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack (not shown) and allow to cool completely. 

Make the glaze: In a small bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and ½ teaspoon vanilla. 

When cake is cooled, transfer to serving plate and drizzle with glaze. Slice and serve. 

Serves 10-12.

Cranberry Whipped Goat Cheese

This was a spur-of-the-moment concoction and I didn't take photos -- but I know you can make this without them!

Amounts are approximate; adjust as needed, especially if you’re using up the last of your holiday cranberry sauce! 

10-12 ounce log goat cheese, softened 

½ cup cranberry sauce or compote

milk or half and half, if needed

Crackers or toasted baguette slices, for serving 

Soften the goat cheese, at room temperature. Use a spoon to smush it, then stir in the cranberry sauce. Add a little liquid, as needed to create a spreadable consistency.

Spread and enjoy!

Cranberries on your holiday table or not? Your favorite creative use of Thanksgiving leftovers? 

💕 Click here for a free printable PDF! 

At Seattle Spice Shop, owner Pepper Reece has whipped up the perfect blend of food, friends, and flavor. But the sweet smell of success can be hazardous . . .  

Spring is in full bloom in Pike Place Market, where Pepper is celebrating lavender’s culinary uses and planning a festival she hopes will become an annual event. When her friend Lavender Liz offers to share tips for promoting the much-loved—and occasionally maligned—herb, Pepper makes a trek to the charming town of Salmon Falls. But someone has badly damaged Liz’s greenhouse, throwing a wrench in the feisty grower’s plans for expansion. Suspicions quickly focus on an employee who’s taken to the hills. 

Then Liz is found dead among her precious plants, stabbed by a pruning knife. In Salmon Falls, there’s one in every pocket. 

Pepper digs in, untangling the tensions between Liz and a local restaurateur with eyes on a picturesque but neglected farm, a jealous ex-boyfriend determined to profit from Liz’s success, and a local growers’ cooperative. She’s also hot on the scent of a trail of her own, sniffing out the history of her sweet dog, Arf. 

As Pepper’s questions threaten to unearth secrets others desperately want to keep buried, danger creeps closer to her and those she loves. Can Pepper root out the killer, before someone nips her in the bud?

Available at Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Books-A-Million * Bookshop.org * and your local booksellers!

ALL GOD'S SPARROWS AND OTHER STORIES: A STAGECOACH MARY FIELDS COLLECTION, now available in in paperback and ebook 

Take a step back in time with All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection of historical short mysteries, featuring the Agatha-Award winning "All God's Sparrows" and other stories imagining the life of real-life historical figure Mary Fields, born into slavery in 1832, during the last thirty years of her life, in Montana. Out September 17, 2024 from Beyond the Page Publishing.  

“Finely researched and richly detailed, All God’s Sparrows and Other Stories is a wonderful collection. I loved learning about this fascinating woman . . . and what a character she is! Kudos to Leslie Budewitz for bringing her to life so vividly.” —Kathleen Grissom, New York Times bestselling author of Crow Mary

Available at Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Books-A-Million * Bookshop.org * and your local booksellers!

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Spice Shop Mysteries set in Seattle's Pike Place Market, and the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries, set in NW Montana. As Alicia Beckman, she writes moody, standalone suspense, most recently Blind Faith. She is the winner of Agatha Awards in three categories: Best Nonfiction (2011), Best First Novel (2013), and Best Short Story (2018). Her latest books are To Err is Cumin, the 8th Spice Shop Mystery and All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection, in September 2024. Watch for Lavender Lies Bleeding, the 9th Spice Shop Mystery, on July 15, 2025.

A past president of Sisters in Crime and former national board member of Mystery Writers of America, Leslie lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.

Swing by Leslie's website and join the mailing list for her seasonal newsletter. And join her on Facebook where she shares book news and giveaways from her writer friends, and talks about food, mysteries, and the things that inspire her.