In winter, the rhubarb comes into it's own - big fat red and green stalks and healthy leaves as a contrast to the wilted patheticness it is in the summer. I had two huge plants I needed to transplant as it was in the way of a fence, so of course I had to get to making something. I did consider jam with ginger, but I'm not a sugar fan, unless it's marmalade. Like my husband's allergic to almond unless they're on a croissant, y'know?
So as I'm tidying it up and chopping it into a pan I start thinking about what to mix it with for a compote with honey. I'd usually add apple, but I don't have any (I don't buy them, waiting instead for apple season). I would usually add orange juice, too, but didn't have that either. Sigh.
Then I remembered frozen berries. Enough sweetness to balance the tart rhubarb would work, right? I meted out about a third berries, or just under, to the pot of rhubarb.
Then I remember I had mandarins. Can you squeeze a mandarin? Of course you can.
At this point I added around six cardomom seeds, a few shakes of cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, a splash of vanilla essence (who can afford real vanilla? In my dreams!). To be honest, it wasn't quite enough, so though the title sounds great, I couldn't really pick out those flavours to any degree. A bit more next time, perhaps? Or perhaps I could serve it with something chai-ish...
With a little splash of water to stop it burning as well, it went on for a gentle simmer until the rhubarb began to soften and break up. By this stage I'm getting an idea of the sweetness, and added a few spoonfuls of honey as it cooled til it was just right.
I tell you what made it even better just right was coconut yoghurt. Cocobella does a particularly good one! This made for a kickass desert and in my opinion, far better than jam. I'll pop some in the freezer but it'd work well to can as well.
If you knew my crockery you'd known this is a tiny bowl. The internet lies. But I can't eat it all before the hubs comes home - this is just a tester.
What's your favourite rhubarb recipe?
With Love,
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Rhubarb always reminds me of my grandmother. She used to make compote out of it as well, super tasty! As kids we added A LOT of sugar to it, so I guess that's why we liked it back then haha. Those herbs in combination with the rhubarb sounds really good, too bad you couldn't really taste them. Have you tried vanilla extract before? The taste is stronger and closer to real vanilla. I use it in most of my recipes, because it's more convenient (and also cheaper) than real vanillaπ
I do use vanilla extract but it's not the same.
Hahaha yes I bet you kids loved the sugary rhubarb! The honey and berries made it just right ... Sugar makes me feel ill!
Ahh.... that's delicious π
Indeed it is!
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Did it survive until he got home? :))
Here strawberries come in shortly after rhubarb, so strawberry rhubarb everything is found at that time. I use old frozen ones until the strawberries appear, and usually just make a sauce. It usually needs a touch of sweetness, but I probably make it more tart than most people like, as I'm trying to keep the sweet in my diet low.
I like things tart anyway so that doesn't bother me. It sounds gorgeous with starwberries!!! I removed a couple of rhubarb the other day and now I regret it as this compote is the best. Yes, it survived, but I've had the lion's share ahaha. He isn't a fan of raspberry as he doesn't like the seeds... Yeah I know, wierdo. More for moi!
My husband didn't like raspberries or other berries with big seeds either. Dentures, you see... :))
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My mother always made rhubarb compote with dried blood plums from our garden. Clearly one has MILLIONS of blood plums if one has a tree, so all summer long she patiently watched US halve and de-stone them, and then up they'd go onto the carport roof on a big while tray that was actually the side of an old stove in its first life. Netting? no problem - she used an old recycled ballet practice skirt. LOL.
And thus we'd have blood plums all winter long when no one else had yummy fruit. And she make a compote with cinnamon sticks and rhubarb. If there were any warmish days or special guests she'd do the same, only add a cup of port wine and some gelatine and make a stunningly impressive molded jelly dessert.
Thanks for dredging up some lovely old memories.
Aw bless. That's a nice one. They sure knew how to improvise in those days....
My grandmother would do all manner of fruits, in old margarine containers in the freezer.
Ah, how nice. My mom has rhubarb in her garden too π She also makes some kind of compote with them. They are also nice to have in a pie (a sweet one though). Omg, I'm starting to feel that I would probably enjoy cooking more if I had a garden. It would give me more of a connection. I was baking so much as a child. That was really my thing (among a lot of other things, haha).