Looking for a fresh and easy recipe to celebrate the classic combination of strawberry and rhubarb?
This Roasted Strawberry Rhubarb Compote is a deliciously simple dish that does just about everything: Serve it warm over ice cream, pancakes or your morning bowl of porridge. Or pile it high on cream cheese-slathered crispbread. Or bake it into a batch of scones!
This versatile Strawberry Rhubarb Compote does it all.
Why This Recipe Works
- It contains a straightforward, short list of ingredients.
- While most compotes cook on the stove, this one is ROASTED, which means the cooking process is almost entirely hands off, leaving you free to do other things while it cooks.
- The roasting process also concentrates the flavor of the strawberries and rhubarb giving you an EXTRA delicious final result.
The Ingredients
- Strawberries. It goes without saying that the better the berries, the better the compote, BUT because the roasting step brings out so much flavor in the fruit, even regular old supermarket strawberries taste great in this recipe.
- Rhubarb. Fresh or frozen rhubarb works just fine here, and there is no need to defrost first it if you are using frozen.
- Salt. A little pinch of salt really offsets the sweetness of this compote and heightens the flavors.
- Sugar. Because rhubarb is quite tart, most recipes containing rhubarb have a fair amount of sugar. The modest half cup called for here is the perfect amount to really showcase the strawberries and rhubarb without making the compote overly sweet.
- Half of a Vanilla Bean. Fresh vanilla bean is so delicate and fragrant in this recipe, and the little flecks of the vanilla paste are visually appealing in the final result. That said, feel free to substitute ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract for the vanilla bean if necessary.
How To Make This Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Chop the strawberries and rhubarb. Transfer the fruit to a glass baking dish. Next, add the water, sugar and pinch of salt to the baking dish.
- Scape out the seeds of your vanilla bean pod by cutting one side of the pod, opening it up like a book and scraping the inside with the back of your knife. Add the vanilla bean paste and the pod to the baking dish.
- Stir everything together. Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the dish from the oven and give the fruit a stir. Return to the oven until fruit is soft, tender and bubbly, about 20-25 minutes.
- Remove the vanilla bean pod and discard. Mash the fruit with a potato masher or a fork until it has a jam-like consistency. Allow it to cool. Enjoy immediately or transfer the compote to a tightly sealed container and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
How To Enjoy Roasted Strawberry Rhubarb Compote
- Use it in place of jam on your morning toast.
- Bake it into a batch of these Strawberry Rhubarb Barley Scones.
- Serve it warm over pancakes or waffles.
- Dollop it on top of crackers or crispbread spread with cream cheese for an afternoon snack.
- Make a batch of Scandinavian Almond Tartlets and spoon a little compote inside (maybe add a little whipped cream, too!)
- Warm it slightly and spoon it over ice cream.
- Add a spoonful to your morning bowl of oatmeal.
- Spoon a dollop next to your favorite granola and yogurt (it's like having strawberry rhubarb crisp for breakfast!)
- Use it in place of the strawberry filling in this Swedish Rulltårta.
- Use it in place of the blueberry filling in these Rye Crumble Bars.
FAQs
A compote is a fruit preserve that is cooked slowly over low heat in a sweet syrup. Typically compotes are not as sweet as jams or preserves and are more rustic in appearance, perhaps with some of the chunks of fruit remaining intact.
It will keep in the refrigerator tightly sealed in a jar or other container for about two weeks. For longer storage, spoon the cooled compote into a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze it for up to two months.
MORE COMPOTE RECIPES
As the seasons change, give these other fruit compotes a try!
Roasted Strawberry Rhubarb Compote
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh strawberries hulled and halved if small, quartered if large
- 2 cups chopped rhubarb stalks fresh or frozen
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- Pinch of salt
- ½ vanilla bean
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Combine all ingredients except vanilla bean in a 9 x 13 baking dish.
- Using a small knife, slice down one side of the vanilla bean lengthwise so that it opens like a book. Using the back of the knife, scrape the black seeds from the inside of the split vanilla bean pod and place in the baking dish. Add the pod as well.
- Stir everything together. Roast for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and stir mixture. Return to the oven and roast for another 20 minutes or until fruit is bubbly, extremely soft and falling apart.
- Remove the vanilla bean pod. Using a potato masher or the back of a fork, lightly mash the fruit mixture until it is a jam-like consistency. Allow to cool. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition
If you loved this recipe, give it a star review! Also, snap a picture of your Roasted Strawberry Rhubarb Compote and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #truenorthkitchen and tagging me @true_north_kitchen.
absolutely delicious!
Thanks, Lesley! I whole-heartedly agree.
Kristi
I love the fact it is roasted. So simple and yes so good.
Hi Darren,
I'm so glad you enjoyed the compote! It's something I look forward to making every spring. Thanks for taking the time to leave me a note!
Kristi