Rhubarb & Rose Compôte
Recipe for a fragrant rhubarb and rosewater compote. An utterly delightful flavour combo and a taste of The British Isles.
There are two rhubarb seasons - one is late winter, early spring, when the crops of pink, forced rhubarb are available, and one is the summer, when the abundant crops of green rhubarb are endlessly sprouting stalks in veg patches and borders up and down the land.
This recipe is designed for the former, the pink kind, particularly if you intend to serve the compote appetisingly atop a crepe, yoghurt or cake. While the green summer kind will taste exactly the same, it will not have the aesthetic appeal of the pink winter version, especially if you want to turn the puree into some other topping like on a cheesecake.
If you only want it for the flavour and don’t need any of the colour, this recipe will produce the same result either which way.
My recipe below is my own.
PORTION SIZE
Makes about 700ml – roughly the amount of 2 large mugs.TOOLS
Other than the typical kitchen equipment, you will need:
a roasting tin with sides, about 4-5cm deep
INGREDIENTS
600g rhubarb (about 10 stalks) **forced, pink ones will make a pink compote; the green summer rhubarb will be a sludgy green colour
100g golden caster sugar
1 to 1 ½ tsp rose water
1-2 drops pink food colouring (optional)
Ratios
100% fruit, 15% sugar
Approx. ½ tsp rose extract per 300g fruit
Variations
with orange or lime zest – omit the rose water and zest the citrus fruit onto the compôte just after it comes out the oven. Stir to combine.
with strawberries — swap half the rhubarb for strawberries
With vanilla – stir 2 tsp vanilla paste onto the compôte just after it comes out the oven. Stir to combine.
With rosé wine or liqueurs – add 2 tbsp rose wine, elderflower liqueur, Grand Marnier, Chambord etc. to the roasting tin with the raw rhubarb and sugar. Roast together.
With cardamom – grind the seeds of 4 cardamom pods and add to the roasting tin with the raw rhubarb and sugar. Roast together. Omit the rose water.
METHOD
Heat oven. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan
Prep rhubarb and any extras. Cut the rhubarb into large chunks and place in a roasting tin with the sugar. If any of your extras need to go in before roasting, add here.
Roast. Cover with foil and cook for 15‐20 minutes or until the rhubarb is tender and the sugar has dissolved into a lovely pink syrup. Expect it to be pretty wet.
Finish. Stir in the rosewater (or any other optional extras, and a drop or two of pink food colouring if you want to amp up the colour), then spoon into a bowl and set aside to cool completely.
USES
Dollop onto rice pudding, porridge or crepes
Blend into a smoothie
Use as a fruit puree for cheesecake topping
Serve alongside a cake (particularly a dense type of cake such as a Madeira cake or olive oil cake)
Low-and-Slow Pecan & Pumpkin Seed Granola
Very simple two-step recipe for homemade pecan and pumpkin seed granola. Memories of Suffolk.
I once spent a summer weekend, with a friend, on the Suffolk coast. We walked, we chatted, we basked in the the high summer sun, we ate great food.
Part of the joy was the breakfast at our guesthouse, Corner Farm. We were seated in the glass vestibule just off the kitchen, and laid out on the table with our brewing tea were individual little Kilner jars of granola, clearly homemade granola at that. It was utterly delicious.
Buttery, crispy, oaty and gently spiced. Nothing like the rubbish you can get from the supermarket. I tentatively enquired as to whether the owner of the guesthouse might share her secrets with me. Lucky for me, she did, and making it is now a regular feature in my own kitchen.
Three things to know. First, this is not a ‘clumpy’ granola, but rather a ‘flaky’ one, where all the ingredients remain as separate little crispy morsels. Second, the darker the honey, the darker the bake will be. Third, don’t be tempted to speed up the baking - the low-and-slow approach is what gets you these golden, toasty, oaty nutty flakes where the rich and delicate flavour of the butter has been coaxed out over the long bake time, and none of the nuts or seeds have burnt.
PORTION SIZE
My estimates are based on an 80g portion of granola per person. This recipe will make about 1kg, which is about 12 portions.
TOOLS
Other than the typical kitchen equipment, you will need:
a baking sheet or a shallow roasting tin, 3-4cm deep
a large Kilner jar or tupperware for storage
INGREDIENTS
130g unsalted butter
130g honey (or mix of light muscovado & vanilla caster)
350g oats, rye or spelt flakes – half jumbo, half porridge
180g pecans (or swap in walnuts or almonds)
70g pumpkin seeds
1 tsp fine salt
1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp mixed spice or allspice
Extras after baking (optional)
80g chocolate chips or coconut shavings
50g chopped dried fruit
Ratios
1:1 fat : sweetener
100% dry ingredients : 43% liquid ingredients
METHOD
Melt liquids - Weigh the butter and honey directly into a saucepan; melt over a medium heat. Do not allow to bubble.
Prep oven & baking sheet - Preheat the oven to 110°C fan, 130°C regular and line a large roasting tin (one with sides) with reusable baking paper
Mix everything together - Weigh the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Pour the melted ingredients over the dry and mix well.
Bake - Spread the mixture on the baking tray and bake in the middle of the oven for 90 minutes, stirring every 30 minutes, until nicely golden. Keep an eye on it and do not let it burn – you may want to turn to encourage even browning.
Cool & Finish with extras - Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. It will dry and crisp up significantly. Once cooled completely, add your extras if you are using them. Decant into storage jar.
STORAGE
Store in an airtight jar; it keeps easily for a few months