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Why This Recipe Works
- Cooking the rhubarb first allows it to fully soften and break down, creating a thick sauce.
- Fennel seed adds an intriguing sweet-savory note that works well in all applications.
The classic springtime combination of strawberries and rhubarb is perfect for people like me who don't have a huge sweet tooth. It's also perfect for people who do. Rhubarb—technically a vegetable, but used more often in fruit contexts, like pie fillings—is purely tart, with almost no trace of sweetness. Strawberries help push it more decisively into ripe-fruit territory, but you still need extra sugar to balance rhubarb's intense sourness. And that's what's so great about it: Add as much or as little sugar as you like to suit your taste.
One of my favorite ways to prepare strawberries and rhubarb is stewed into a compote. It's fast, versatile, and totally customizable. I make mine just sweet enough that I can serve it as a dessert, but not so sweet that it'd seem junky to eat it as breakfast, too. In both cases, that often means spooned on top of a bowl of yogurt, but it'd be just as happy alongside fresh ricotta or mascarpone, panna cotta, cake, waffles, pancakes, crepes, scones, toast, or, if you're feeling extra British, crumpets.
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Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
For an interesting flavor twist, I add a small amount of ground fennel seed, which is just as successful at carefully walking the sweet-savory razor's edge—it's not a warm spice like cinnamon or nutmeg, but it still has anise notes that work with all sorts of desserts. Pull back on the sugar just a little more and you could totally eat this with a pork chop.
To start, I dice the rhubarb into chunks, then put it on the heat in a saucepan with a small amount of water, which generates enough steam to get the cooking started. In a preparation like this, I like my rhubarb fully softened and broken down, so I let it cook for a few minutes this way, covered, before adding the strawberries.
Then I add the strawberries, which I cook until they're very soft and plump, adding a burst of brilliant color. I add the fennel and sugar as well, usually spooning in the sugar to taste until I feel like I've hit my desired sweetness—whether that's sweet enough for pork or sweet enough for an ice cream sundae.
June 2016
Recipe Details
Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote With Fennel
This classic springtime combination, spiked with the anise flavor of fennel seed, is incredibly versatile: Just add more or less sugar to suit your taste.
Ingredients
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3/4 pound (350g) rhubarb, diced
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10 ounces (300g) strawberries, hulled and quartered
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Up to 1/2 cup (100g) sugar (see note)
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1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seed (from about 3/4 teaspoon whole seeds)
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Pinch kosher salt
Directions
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In a medium saucepan, combine rhubarb with 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Lower heat to maintain a fast simmer, cover, and cook until rhubarb is fully softened and beginning to break down, about 4 minutes.
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
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Uncover and add strawberries, sugar to taste (see note), fennel, and salt. Continue to cook uncovered over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until strawberries are very soft and plump, about 10 minutes; if compote becomes too thick during cooking, add a small amount of water to thin slightly. Serve hot or cold. Compote will keep for up to 5 days refrigerated in a sealed container.
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
Notes
Feel free to adjust the amount of sugar to taste.
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
---|---|
35 | Calories |
0g | Fat |
9g | Carbs |
0g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Servings: 16 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 35 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 0g | 0% |
Saturated Fat 0g | 0% |
Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
Sodium 6mg | 0% |
Total Carbohydrate 9g | 3% |
Dietary Fiber 1g | 3% |
Total Sugars 7g | |
Protein 0g | |
Vitamin C 13mg | 64% |
Calcium 23mg | 2% |
Iron 0mg | 1% |
Potassium 93mg | 2% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |