Lynn's Cherry Vanilla Sauce

This sauce is from Lynn Crawford's recipe posted on FoodNetwork.ca to go on top of goat cheese ice cream. It seems very similar to a sauce I had at her restaurant Ruby Watchco poured over Niagara Gold Cheddar and had wanted to replicate the combo. This does the trick -- one of my favourite sauces!

• Ready In: 20 mins
• Yields: 2 cups

Ingredients

• 2  cups  fresh cherries, pitted and halved
• 1⁄2 cup  orange juice
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 1  cinnamon stick
• 1  vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 1  tablespoon cornstarch

Directions

1. Combine cherries, orange juice, sugar and cinnamon stick in medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean and add bean. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves; boil 1 minute. Strain into bowl. Reserve cherries. Return juices from bowl, cinnamon stick and vanilla bean to same pan. Mix 1 tablespoon water and cornstarch in small bowl; stir into juices in pan. Stir over medium heat until juices boil and thicken, about 1 minute. Mix in reserved cherries. Chill compote 2 hours.