I never grew up eating rhubarb (when I was telling my mom about this recipe she asked me if rhubarb tastes like celery since they look alike), so perhaps that's why I get so excited when these pretty red stalks start popping up in the produce markets. Their short season make them feel like such a special treat, and their tartness make them a perfect ingredient for a baker without much of a sweet tooth.
I've been experimenting with some other recipes that I'm excited to share with you once they're perfected, but in the meantime, I present to you this foolproof concoction. It's quick and easy (full disclosure: I invented it while on a very long work call), and it's a great base that you can tweak and spice up depending on your favorite flavors. I love the pairing with ginger and lemon, but I'm sure it would be delicious with strawberries (reduce the amount of sugar slightly), raspberries, lime/orange zest, vanilla, or cardamom. I have written the recipe in ratios rather than specific quantities because I tend to buy them in small amounts and eyeball the measurements accordingly. I think you would need about 4 stalks to make a jar of compote, but don't quote me on that because we never buy that much at a time.
Because of the minimal amount of sugar (at least compared to your average jam), it makes a great breakfast plopped on top of some yogurt and granola, but you could also serve on vanilla ice cream, spread on a scone or crumpet, drizzled on crepes or pancakes, or (if you're Laur) by the spoonful in all it's undiluted glory.
Indredients
Rhubarb*
Sugar*
Ginger - about 1 inch knob, grated
1 lemon
Splash of orange juice (optional)
*I like a ratio of 1:6 sugar:rhubarb to maintain the tartness of the rhubarb, but if you like things a little sweeter you might prefer 1:5. For 2 stalks of rhubarb (128 g), that's around 22 g of sugar, or just under 2 tbsp. 2 stalks of rhubarb yield roughly 3/4 cup of compote.
Steps
1. Wash rhubarb and discard any leaves (these are poisonous!). Chop like celery.
2. In an unheated pot, combine rhubarb and sugar. (I weigh the rhubarb at this step, divide by 6, and weigh out that much sugar.) Leave on the counter until the rhubarb starts to release some moisture, about 10 minutes.
3. In the meantime, peel and grate the ginger, and peel the lemon so you get a few nice pith-free pieces.
Possible modifications: The lemon peels will break down in the compote, but if you don't like the idea of eating small pieces of cooked lemon peel you can grate it into finer zest instead. I also LOVE ginger so sometimes I peel a few thin slices of the ginger before grating the rest so there are bigger ginger pieces in the compote.
4. Add the lemon peel or zest and grated ginger and put the pot on low heat. Stir for about a minute until fragrant and sugar starts to dissolve, and then add a bit of water plus a splash of orange juice if using.
5. Turn up heat to medium and cover. Cook with lid until bubbling, stir, and then turn heat down a bit. Continue cooking on medium-low with lid on until rhubarb has broken down to desired consistency, about 15 minutes. If it's more liquidy than you like, remove the lid and continue cooking for a few minutes.
TIP: Taste during this step to make sure it's to your liking, and add orange juice or a little sugar if it's too tart.
6. Remove from heat and let cool before transferring to a jar and refrigerating.
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