Well, Art is Art, isn’t it? Still, on the other hand, water is water. And east is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does. Now you tell me what you know. (Groucho Marx)
LM loves rhubarb. And, I mean really loves it.
Rhubarb is fairly ubiquitous at our farmers market on Saturday mornings. But, for some reason, it has been a while since I bought some. Not sure why – it is so easy to cook.
…I guess the big thing about rhubarb is that it usually requires quite a bit of sugar to make it really sing. And, it is fair to say that this recipe is no exception. Just because I have used coconut syrup and strawberries doesn’t mean it isn’t still a pretty sugar-heavy choice. But, as with most things in life, it’s all relative!
We are pretty careful about our sugar intake here at Casa TSL.
Having said that, LM still has a seriously sweet tooth (I may have mentioned that once or twice before!) and I guess there are far worse options in the sugar stakes than my take on rhubarb and strawberry compote.
(Images by JFC)
Compote is really just a fancy way of saying ‘stewed fruit’. And, when I say stewed fruit, I always think of custard (another of LM’s favourites!). Guess I better hurry up and reintroduce eggs – successfully! – so that I can whip up a dairy-free custard to go with LM’s rhubarb and strawberries…
As with almost all of my recipes, this one is a doddle to make, but big on flavour. We’re heading into summer down here, but I bet it would taste fabulous in the winter-time made with frozen strawberries and served over a grain free porridge option for breakfast..
- 1 bunch organic rhubarb (approx. 450g when washed, trimmed and chopped)
- 1 punnet organic strawberries (approx. 250g when washed, topped and chopped)
- 2 - 3 Tablespoons coconut syrup (or maple syrup or honey)*
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons filtered water
- Fresh mint for garnish (optional)
- Wash your rhubarb and then trim and chop into 3cm pieces. Wash your strawberries, and then top and quarter them. Throw into a sized medium pot. Add water, coconut syrup and cinnamon.
- Bring to a simmer, stir, and then cook until the rhubarb softens (between 5 and 10 minutes).
- That's it! All done.
Serve your compote either warm or cold as a breakfast accompaniment, or for dessert over vanilla ice cream (dairy free, of course!)
And put a bit of coconut crumble mix on top….. Yum ….. Looks amazing, I have not cooked rhubarb for a while either, could be time to sample some of this years crop . Have a great weekend 🙂
You too, BCD.
I had compote with cacao nutola this morning (and a smidge of coconut yoghurt). Scrummy!
I’m so happy you are heading into summer~ I will have vicarious summer through you for the foreseeable future. Back in the Canadian Spring I discovered using rhubarb for it’s lemongrass(ish) flavoring in savory dishes. So versatile!
Ooooh! Thanks for the reminder, Petra. I shall have to experiment with rhubarb as in savoury dishes…
I was at the markets this morning and one of my favourite stall holders said she watched your video with Matthew. You’re DEFINITELY going global!