HOMEMADE RHUBARB GINGER COMPOTE

I have friends that do rhubarb all summer long. I don't known if it's my poor soil that tends to the alkali due it's clay origins, or where the plant grows, which I don't water, but after a good spring crop, it often looks sick with spots that I googled and may be magnesium deficiency, and with smaller stalks and leaves that wither more often than not. But that first crop is precious, and I love the mix of rhubarb and apple in a crisp, so I will often freeze the pieces for the fall or winter when I feel again like using an oven.

This time, in honour of a summer party with scones, I opted to try a new recipe for Rhubarb Compote from Food May 2005 page126. The recipe is simple enough. Chop 1 3/4 pounds (800g) of fresh clean rhubarb stalk into 3/4 inch (2 cm or length of your thumbnail) lengths, about 6 cups. Add 1 cup of sugar (could try less) and let sit for 10 minutes in the saucepan you want to use to cook in. It's supposed to bring out the juices, but it didn't do much in my case. Bring to boil on medium heat (to avoid burning sugar crystals) and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the rhubarb breaks down. Mine needed a lot more time, and still had large chunks that I eventually hand mixed into more of a puree. The chopped 1 inch of raw ginger was meant to be pressed through a fine sieve, discarding the solids left, but that didn't work for me, providing no liquid. I ended up pressing it through a garlic press and discarding solids, but I think a fine chop and throwing it in with the rhubarb while it softens would be the best. 

So shorter segments of rhubarb with a little less sugar and the ginger straight in next time. Cook to preferred appearance, but like applesauce, the brown lumpy mess is hard to make appealing. I would cook to softness and hand puree. Unique rhubarb flavour in a pourable form. Great on ice cream or to spoon over a fresh scone or on a pancake. Yum!

Fresh from the garden

Alternatively, I have also tried to make rhubarb tea, and quite liked it. It might be interesting in a crockpot, because boiling for one hour on a hot day is too much heat and humidity on the perfect day to drink it. Here is Martha's recipe:

Take 8 rhubarb stalks, chop into 3 inch long chunks, and place in 8 cups of water.  Bring to a boil, and simmer for 1 hour. Strain the water into a pitcher and discard solids. Add 1/3 cup sugar (start with 1/4 and add to taste). Cool and serve on ice in tall glasses. Garnish with fresh mint.