Spontaneous Cuisine: Strawberry and Rhubarb Compote Recipe

A recipe by Jonell Galloway

I always get really excited when the strawberries and rhubarb come on the market. For me it’s literally like “breaking news.” They’re really the first local fruit.

One of my favorite dishes is strawberry and rhubarb compote. It’s healthy, full of fiber and vitamins; it’s also versatile and can be used in many ways.

In addition, it’s about as easy as you can get.

Strawberry and Rhubarb Compote Recipe

Basic principle and technique

Compote is just stewed fruit, so it’s not tricky like a cake or soufflé.

Just chop up equal weights of rhubarb and strawberries and put them in an appropriate size saucepan.

Add some cassonade or brown cane sugar, vanilla and cinnamon, then add just a touch of water — 3 or 4 centimeters / 1 or 2 inches of water in the bottom of the pan.

Bring all this to a boil, and then lower heat to medium and let it cook slowly until it forms a smooth consistency, stirring it from time to time and adding water if it starts to stick.

Both fruits are rather acidic, so you will have to adjust the amount of sugar according to your taste.

Basic Guideline for Proportions and Ingredients

I like to serve it warm with a huge dollop of Greek yogurt, but it’s also good for breakfast, with oats or muesli, or as a cold dessert with vanilla ice cream. And it keeps for ages thanks to the sugar.