Caramelized apple compote

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g apples (approx. 5 pieces)
• 200 ml apple juice
• 50 g sugar
• 15 g butter
• 50 g raisins
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• some lemon juice
• 1 vanilla pod(s), scraped pulp
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 shot of rum (omit if you have children!)
• some brittle or roasted almonds
• powdered sugar

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 20 minutes

Peel the apples and remove the cores. Cut them into approximately 1 cm cubes, place them in a bowl, and drizzle with a little lemon juice. Stir occasionally to prevent the apples from browning. Caramelize the butter and sugar together in a saucepan over moderate heat. Add the diced apples and stir occasionally. They will sizzle vigorously, but they won’t burn over medium heat. After a few minutes, deglaze with the apple juice. Add the cinnamon, raisins, vanilla seeds, and salt, stirring occasionally. After about 15-20 minutes, the juice will be well reduced. Then remove the pan from the heat and add the rum (otherwise the alcohol would evaporate). Serve cold or warm. Sprinkle the compote with brittle or toasted almonds and dust with powdered sugar.