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Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on April 12, 2013

Time

30 minutes, plus 30 minutes macerating and 45 minutes cooling

Yield

Serves 32 (Makes 4 cups)

Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote

Ingredients

1 pound (454 grams) strawberries, hulled and chopped (3 cups)1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) sugar 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 pound (454 grams) rhubarb, sliced ¼-inch thickPinch salt

Before You Begin

The compote will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to one week. It’s delicious drizzled on pound cake or ice cream or stirred into yogurt or oatmeal.

Instructions

  1. Toss strawberries with 1/2 cup sugar and lemon juice in medium bowl. Transfer strawberry mixture to fine-mesh strainer set over medium saucepan and let stand, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Do not wash bowl.
  2. Return strawberries to bowl. Add rhubarb, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, and salt to strawberry juices in pan and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until rhubarb is soft and liquid has thickened, 6 to 8 minutes.
  3. Stir strawberries into pan and remove from heat. Transfer compote to bowl and let cool to room temperature, about 45 minutes. Serve.
Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote

Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

30 minutes, plus 30 minutes macerating and 45 minutes cooling

Yield

Serves 32 (Makes 4 cups)

Ingredients

1 pound (454 grams) strawberries, hulled and chopped (3 cups)
1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 pound (454 grams) rhubarb, sliced ¼-inch thick
Pinch salt

Ingredients

1 pound (454 grams) strawberries, hulled and chopped (3 cups)
1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 pound (454 grams) rhubarb, sliced ¼-inch thick
Pinch salt

Ingredients

1 pound (454 grams) strawberries, hulled and chopped (3 cups)
1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 pound (454 grams) rhubarb, sliced ¼-inch thick
Pinch salt

Why This Recipe Works

Making this classic pie duo work in a thick, jammy compote meant treating the strawberries and the rhubarb separately. To reduce stringy rhubarb without having to peel it, we slice it thin, which has the added advantage of reducing the cooking time. In the end, it turned out that the strawberries didn’t need to be cooked at all, but only macerated in sugar and lemon juice for 30 minutes to soften. The moisture given off by the berries could then be used to cook the rhubarb, boosting flavor and avoiding a watery compote.

Before You Begin

The compote will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to one week. It’s delicious drizzled on pound cake or ice cream or stirred into yogurt or oatmeal.

Instructions

  1. Toss strawberries with 1/2 cup sugar and lemon juice in medium bowl. Transfer strawberry mixture to fine-mesh strainer set over medium saucepan and let stand, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Do not wash bowl.
  2. Return strawberries to bowl. Add rhubarb, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, and salt to strawberry juices in pan and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until rhubarb is soft and liquid has thickened, 6 to 8 minutes.
  3. Stir strawberries into pan and remove from heat. Transfer compote to bowl and let cool to room temperature, about 45 minutes. Serve.

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