Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce (Compote)

The tartness of rhubarb and the sweetness of strawberries come together in this vibrantly red sauce that makes the perfect topping for cake, ice cream, pancakes, pastries and even toast.

While strawberry purée is smooth, this sauce is filled with delicious strawberry and rhubarb chunks.

Is Rhubarb a Fruit or Vegetable?

Many people think rhubarb is a fruit due to its tart flavor that's reminiscent of green apples. It's technically a vegetable, but rhubarb has been legally ruled a fruit in a New York court, as it is used mainly in fruit applications. It is a popular filling and/or topping for tarts, pastries and other sweet desserts.

Ingredients

To make this rhubarb sauce have a nice balance of tart and sweet, this recipe adds fresh strawberries along with lemon juice and some sugar. The sauce is thick with soft chunks of fruit and a deliciously sweet-yet-tart flavor. The orange liqueur is a nice addition to the sauce.

• fresh rhubarb - You will find rhubarb a plenty at farmers' markets but it's also easy to grow in your own backyard.
• fresh strawberries - You can also use frozen sliced strawberries; this will just add to the cook time.
• sugar - White granulated sugar is what I use.
• orange liqueur - Such as Grand Marnier or Triple Sec (you can substitute with orange juice if you prefer something non-alcoholic).
• lemon juice - Freshly squeezed.

*Check recipe card for ingredient amounts.

How to Make Rhubarb Sauce

Making this rhubarb sauce (also called 'rhubarb compote') is a breeze: simply boil the ingredients together in a saucepan, let the mixture simmer for about fifteen minutes and serve warm or chill the sauce in the fridge.

Once you know how to make rhubarb sauce, you'll have a delicious and unique ingredient that spruces up your pound cakes, homemade ice cream and other desserts and pastries.

Step 1. Combine ingredients in pot. In a small saucepan, combine the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, salt, orange liqueur and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Mix.

Step 2. Simmer. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the fruit is softened and the liquid has thickened a bit. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat.

Step 3. Serve or store. Serve warm or let cool to room temperature.

How to Use it

• Desserts and breakfast dishes. Once the flavors have all cooked together and the fruit chunks soften, this rhubarb and strawberry compote makes the perfect condiment for desserts and even breakfast dishes.
• Drizzle it. You can drizzle it over just about anything. This includes slices of pound cake, mason jar cakes, ice cream, waffles, pancakes, toast, granola, pies, cheesecake and other sweet foods.
• Stir it in. You could also make strawberry parfaits or stir it into some Greek yogurt.
• Savory uses. Some people even experiment with savory dishes that could use a little sweet-and-tart flavor like this electric skillet pork tenderloin, ham or bison steak.
• Spread. I like to spread it on a piece of toast with cream cheese.
• Whatever the case, you can serve this sauce right off the stove or chill it in the fridge for later use. Chilled sauce is better for cold dishes like ice cream and yogurt, but warm sauce is great for dishes that will soak it up nicely or are served warm like cakes, muffins, waffles and pancakes. Just microwave it or heat it over the stove. You could also serve it at room temperature.

Top Tip

If you plan on freezing your strawberries and rhubarb before using in recipes like this compote, slice them first! That way you can add the fruit, from frozen, directly into the saucepan. If you thaw large sticks of rhubarb, they become quite soggy and harder to cut vs. fresh rhubarb.

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