Strawberry rhubarb compote

My mother made rhubarb pie every summer. Perhaps it was my childhood palate, but it was always too tart and I didn’t enjoy it until she started to add strawberry jam or fresh strawberries. It became one of my favorite desserts.

The recipe is versatile because the compote is pareve. It’s also simple to prepare — you just combine the ingredients in a pot and let them simmer for about a half-hour. It tastes like something you spent hours on, but without the fussiness of preparing a fruit coulis.

My favorite way to serve it is warm, over vanilla ice cream (you can choose nondairy ice cream), and sprinkled with an oat topping for a bit of crunch and texture.

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This is also excellent added to plain whole Greek yogurt at breakfast, and although it’s a little soft, I use it as jam — I smeared a dollop over a crepe the other night and it was scrumptious. Using fresh, in-season produce always makes everything more flavorful.

Every bite of this compote takes me back to simple childhood summers; it’s like sunshine in every bite!

Ingredients

For the compote:
3 cups rhubarb, sliced into 1-inch pieces (about 5 large stalks)
3 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered lengthwise
¾-1 cup sugar
Juice from half of a lemon

For the oat topping:
1 cup oats
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
¼ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
A pinch of sea salt

Wash the rhubarb and strawberries. Trim the ends off the rhubarb and cut into 1-inch pieces, which will make about three cups.

Hull the strawberries and cut into quarters lengthwise.

Add the fruit, sugar and lemon juice to a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring every few minutes. It will take between five and 10 minutes for the sugar to dissolve and for the strawberries to soften — the rhubarb will still look firm at this point.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes.

Start with ¾ cup of sugar and taste it after 15 minutes. If it needs a little more sweetness, add another ¼ cup and continue cooking the compote over low for another 15 minutes.

After 30 minutes of cooking, the rhubarb should be broken down and the consistency should look like a thick, warm jam. Keep in mind that a full cup of sugar will not only add more sweetness, but it also thickens the compote. You can add less sugar if that works best for you.

While the compote is cooking, set your oven to 350 F and melt the butter for the oats over low heat in a small saucepan.

Once the butter is fully melted, stir in the brown sugar and cook for a minute or two, until the sugar is dissolved.

Remove the pan from heat and stir in the oats until they are well coated in the butter and sugar mixture.

Spread the oats over a small baking sheet, sprinkle with a small pinch of sea salt and bake for 10 minutes, stirring once halfway through.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the sheet pan.

You can make this in advance and it will last for a couple of weeks in the fridge if it’s sealed well. I pour it into a sanitized Mason jar while it’s still pretty warm and put the lid on. This isn’t a shelf-stable way of canning, but the jar will seal if you allow the jar to cool completely on the counter.

I like to warm this up before serving to “hot fudge” or “caramel-level” warm; it should not be so hot that it turns the ice cream into a puddle.

This makes about three cups of compote. I usually serve about 2-3 tablespoons per dessert, and about a tablespoon of cold compote into a half-cup of yogurt, sprinkled with the oat topping. Enjoy and bless your hands! PJC

Jessica Grann is a home chef living in Pittsburgh.