Recipe : Rhubarb Ginger Compote
a versatile spring favorite + cooking tips
If you missed it, you can learn all about rhubarb here on this week’s newsletter! Long story short, there are many different varieties of rhubarb but there are also distinct ways of cultivating it. One of these ways is by growing and harvesting it in the dark which changes its flavor and texture drastically making it easier to cook with and sweeter to taste.
This week’s recipe is a rhubarb ginger compote, a French classic with a bit of a twist. Usually you’d see plain green compote in stores but we’ll be using forced rhubarb today, the sweeter kind, and adding in a bit of a hot kick from the ginger.
If you can’t find forced rhubarb, don’t worry! I will give you a different ratio to adjust the tartness of the rhubarb but the steps will be the same.
Rhubarb Tips
Forced vs Regular: sweetness + stringiness
Sweetness: Forced will be sweeter and the stalks will be skinnier while regular rhubarb will be a bit tangier. Don’t dismiss the latter, just add a tad more sugar or sweetening agent if you’re not into a very acidic and sharp flavor
Stringiness: When using “regular” rhubarb, you may need to peel it to remove some of the stringiness - kind of like celery! The skinnier stalks will be the younger ones so they’ll have the least amount of *string*. This will also result in having to cook the regular rhubarb a few extra minutes than the forced one to break it down.
Discard the leaves, these contain a poison called oxalic acid so there’s really no point in using them.
Don’t cut the leaves off until you’re ready to use the rhubarb as this will keep it fresh (also I recommend keeping fresh rhubarb in the fridge)
Pick stalks that are sturdy and not floppy and wilted
Don’t dismiss pairing rhubarb with savory rather than sweet - yes it’s delicious in pies and crumbles but I really love it paired with meat. See page 105 in TCB
Rhubarb is really high in water content so when using it, I like to slightly candy it first by letting it sit in sugar for a few hours minimum before cooking as this will remove some excess liquid which helps in the cooking process.
Rhubarb Ginger Compote Recipe
Think of a compote as a “sauce”, like apple sauce! It uses less sugar than a jam and doesn’t last as long in your fridge due to this. Whilst you can make it shelf stable by sterilizing your jars etc, when making compote I usually just make a few jars and plop them right into my fridge. They’ll definitely last a week or two so you’ll be good to go. I can assure you, this compote is addictive and will be done before its expiration date.
