Jennifer Sanders of Cambridge, Ontario, came up with this winning combination of plums and apples, which she stews into a compote and accompanies with a light and comforting custard sauce.

Makes 12 servings, 1/2 cup each

ACTIVE TIME: 20 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour

EASE OF PREPARATION: Moderate

Compote
12 prune plums or 8 red or black plums, pitted and chopped
1/3 cup apple cider
1/4 cup sugar or Splenda Granular (see Ingredient note)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 large apples, such as Mutsu (Crispin), Fuji or Gala

Custard
1 1/2 cups 1% milk, divided
1/4 cup sugar or Splenda Granular
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Pinch of salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. To prepare compote: Combine plums, cider, 1/4 cup sugar (or Splenda) and cinnamon in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the plums are soft and falling apart, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Peel and grate apples. Stir the grated apples into the plums. Spoon the compote into a large bowl and chill in the refrigerator.
2. To prepare custard: Heat 1 cup milk in a saucepan over medium heat until steaming; do not boil. Mix 1/4 cup sugar (or Splenda), cornstarch and salt in a medium bowl. Add eggs and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup cold milk. Add the heated milk to the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in vanilla. Transfer the custard to a clean bowl and let cool slightly or refrigerate until chilled.
3. To serve, spoon custard into dessert dishes and top each with compote.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 119 calories; 1 g fat (0 g sat, 1 g mono); 37 mg cholesterol; 25 g carbohydrate; 3 g protein; 2 g fiber; 37 mg sodium.

Per serving with Splenda: 91 calories, 18 g carbohydrate.

1 1/2 Carbohydrate Servings

TIP: Ingredient Note: In the EatingWell Test Kitchen, sucralose is the only alternative sweetener we test with when we feel the option is appropriate. For nonbaking recipes, we use Splenda Granular (boxed, not in a packet). For baking, we use Splenda Sugar Blend for Baking, a mix of sugar and sucralose. It can be substituted in recipes (1/2 cup of the blend for each 1 cup of sugar) to reduce sugar calories by half while maintaining some of the baking properties of sugar. If you make a similar blend with half sugar and half Splenda Granular, substitute this homemade mixture cup for cup.

When choosing any low- or no-calorie sweetener, be sure to check the label to make sure it is suitable for your intended use.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Refrigerate compote and custard in separate containers for up to 2 days.