Compote, the French for ‘mixture’, describes the wonderfully simple method of slow-cooking fruit in a sugar syrup. It works well for rhubarb on its own and is also lovely for a combination of rhubarb and other soft fruit or spices. Think rhubarb, strawberry and vanilla or rhubarb, orange and cinnamon.

There are rarely strict recipes for something as simple as a compote, as there are few ways to go wrong. The amount of sugar that will need to be added will often depend on the natural sweetness of the fruit you’re using.

 

How to make rhubarb compote

Makes around 700g

500g rhubarb, chopped

200g sugar

50ml water

 

  1. Place the rhubarb in a saucepan over a medium heat. Stir in the sugar and water, then cover with a lid.
  2. Cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb has completely broken down.

 

Make it yours…

Extra flavours can easily be added or infused into the compote, such as fresh ginger and orange peel or spices like vanilla, cinnamon and star anise. Experiment by adding other fruits such as peaches, strawberries, raspberries or apricots. The water in the recipe can be swapped for other liquids like orange juice or cranberry juice to add flavour and colour.

Be aware that this will have an impact on the level of sweetness, so reduce the amount of sugar added as required.

 

Per 70g Serving 86kcals, 0.1g fat (0g saturated), 22.3g carbs (20.6g sugars), 0.5g protein, 0.9g fibre, 0.002g sodium