Rhubarb Orange Compote

Rhubarb Orange Compote, sweet with a tangy edge, makes a delicious breakfast served over porridge, yogurt or pancakes.

So good, you can even use it in desserts. Try it over ice cream, cheesecakes, or whipped with double cream into a traditional fruit fool.

Easily made in under thirty minutes, a jar of this vibrant compote will keep for several days in the fridge.

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A compote is a wonderful thing with loads of uses. Not quite a sauce and not really a jam, it’s simply chunks of fruit briefly cooked in a sugar syrup.

The word compote or compôte has the same derivation as composite, meaning a mixture. And you can have almost any mixture of complementary fruits and flavourings in your compote.

While I love making traditional jams, you could argue that unless you have quite a lot of fruit, they’re probably not worth making.

However, being so much quicker, it’s no trouble at all to make a compote with a relatively small amount of fruit.

I think that means they’re perfect for making the most of precious seasonal ingredients.

RHUBARB ORANGE COMPOTE

I decided to make this Rhubarb Orange Compote when I received some lovely organic rhubarb in my Moorland Veg Box.

Perhaps a pie or crumble would have been the obvious thing. But I fancied something lighter, fresher, and quicker. A compote sounded perfect.

As I also happened to have a big, juicy orange in the fruit bowl, the classic combination of rhubarb and orange almost suggested itself.

MAKING THE COMPOTE

Whatever your ingredients, the process for making compote is the same.

Start by washing and chopping your fruit (fact: rhubarb is actually a vegetable).

So that it cooks evenly, try to make the pieces roughly the same dimensions, and bite-sized.

Into the saucepan also goes any flavourings: in this case the zest from the orange.

You usually need some form of liquid to cook a compote, although not too much. I used the juice from the orange which was plenty.

The only other ingredient needed is sugar. As tastes will naturally vary, you’ll have to use your judgement as to how much to add. As a guide, after preparing my rhubarb it weighed 375 grams and I used 40 grams of sugar to make the compote.

Then it’s just a case of gently simmering, without a lid, until the rhubarb is tender.

You could cook the fruit (vegetable!) right down to almost a puree. But I prefer it chunky.

Unless you’ve cut the rhubarb particularly large, the cooking should take no more than 12-18 minutes.

SERVING RHUBARB ORANGE COMPOTE

If you like, you can serve the compote straight away while still warm.

In that case, I think swirling it through creamy hot porridge is the way to go.

But you’re probably not going to use all the compote in one go, so put it in a clean jar.

Once it’s cold you can pop on a lid and store in the fridge. Remember: this is not a traditional jam that’s had lengthy cooking with lots of sugar. This means it won’t have a long shelf-life.

Many people will tell you that compotes will keep for up to two weeks in the fridge.

However, I prefer to use them while they’re fresh so eat them within three or four days.

Although you can reheat compote, I’m fine adding it straight from the fridge onto hot dishes like porridge.

A quick sprinkle of nuts and seeds and you’ve a wonderful topping for your breakfast.

The cold compote is also thoroughly delicious stirred through thick, Greek-style yogurt. A little more orange zest over the top adds extra perkiness.

But you don’t have to wait until breakfast to enjoy Rhubarb Orange Compote.

Here’s a few more uses.

• Serve hot or cold over freshly cooked pancakes
• Use as a sauce over ice cream or cheesecake
• Eat on bread or toast as you would jam
• Put a few tablespoons at the bottom of the bowl in my Microwave Sponge Pudding
• Make an easy, creamy and fruity fool by folding compote through whipped double cream then chilling for an hour before serving

Have you made Rhubarb Orange Compote?

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Rhubarb Orange Compote

Sweet yet tangy, this quickly made compote is delicious at breakfast served over porridge, yogurt or pancakes.

Can also be used for desserts like ice-cream, cheesecake or in creamy fruit fools.

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine European

Keyword fruit

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes

Total Time 28 minutes

Servings 1 medium jar

Author Moorlands Eater

Ingredients

• 450-500 g rhubarb stems weight before preparing
• 1 large orange
• 40-60 g sugar

Instructions

1. Trim and discard the ends of the rhubarb then wash the stems.

   Cut the rhubarb into bite-sized chunks: try to make them roughly the same size so they cook evenly.

   Put them in a saucepan, preferably large enough to hold the rhubarb in a single layer.

2. Finely grate the zest from the orange.

   Cut the orange in half and squeeze out the juice.

   Add the zest and juice to the saucepan with the rhubarb along with 40g of the sugar.

3. Bring the saucepan to the boil, then turn down to a medium simmer.

   Taste and add more sugar if you want a sweeter compote.

   With the lid off, cook until the rhubarb is tender but not falling apart, stirring often.

   This should take 12-18 minutes.

4. If not serving straight away, transfer the compote to a clean jar and leave to cool.

   When cold put on a lid, store in the fridge and use within 3-4 days.

Enjoyed this recipe? Now try Rhubarb, Apple & Ginger Jam