So when I spot rhubarb at Pike Place Market two weeks ago, I was really surprised. Does that mean *SPRING* is around the corner?!!
I was so shocked when the host announced my name as the winner for 1st place. I honestly signed up this time because I don’t want to purchase a ticket to be a judge and eat all the yummy treats.
The second news I knew it several months ago, but when I received the actual copy, I was so happy that I refused to let anyone touch it. My photo gets featured on the new Sift Magazine, Spring issue!! I made King Arthur Flour’s granola biscotti last year (and actually have a whole blog post about it because I love it to death) and they decided to put one of my photos on their new issue! 
I will not tell you how excited I am, but one thing for sure – when the magazine is available, you’ll see me racing to the newsstand and buy all the copies.
Okay back to what I’ve been making lately, obviously I bought the rhubarb I saw at Pike Place Market. You may not believe this, but it’s my first time playing with rhubarb. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in China and certainly didn’t have enough interest at this pink celery looking thing before this year. The first recipe I tried is Bon Appetit’s Rhubarb Custard Cake. Oh man, why I haven’t noticed your beauty earlier, rhubarb.
The recipe itself is super easy to make and I think it has the perfect balance between the tartness from rhubarb and sweetness from the cake. The texture is somewhere between a vanilla custard pudding and a cake. I cannot think of a better way to start my rhubarb journey.
After making this cake, I still have two rhubarb stalks left. I remembered a rhubarb compote recipe I saw from Molly Wizenberg’s blog Orangette (BTW I’m obsessed with Molly and her books) and decided to give it a try. Her recipe calls for a pound of rhubarb and orange liqueur. I only had two rhubarb stalks left and none orange liqueur. So I used whatever I have on hand instead. Bang. My favorite compote so far is born.
It’s so good that I finished the first batch way too fast and had to buy another (very expensive) pound of rhubarb. I eat it straight from the fridge, top it with plain yogurt and granola, on French toast, but my favorite way is with warm British scones and homemade clotted cream. So good.
I’ll be too selfish if I don’t share the Strawberry Rhubarb Compote recipe with you. Although it’s not yet the official rhubarb season, bookmark the recipe and set a reminder for yourself to make it. I promise you won’t regret. Until next time, let’s hope spring comes faster and rhubarbs will be cheaper!
My Favorite Strawberry Rhubarb Compote
Yield: 1 pint
Author: HerBakingLab
Adapted from Molly Wizenberg
It’s a wonderful recipe to use up your left over rhubarb. I’ve made the compote with half strawberry and half rhubarb, only 1 stalk rhubarb or just rhubarb. As long as you have 1 pound rhubarb+strawberry in total, you’re good.
MATERIALS:
1. 1 pound (455 grams) rhubarb + strawberry, sliced into ¾-inch chunks
2. 100g to 150g (½ to ¾ cup) sugar, use less sugar if you have more strawberries, use more sugar if you have more rhubarbs
3. 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter
4. zest of half an orange
5. 2 tbsp rum
PROCEDURE:
1. In a medium bowl, toss the rhubarb and strawberry with sugar. Set it aside while you melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat.
2. When the butter has melted, add the fruit mixture, orange zest and rum. Allow to cook, undisturbed, for about 2 minutes, until the fruits start to release their juices. Then gently stir, and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the fruit mixture looks very juicy and those juices begin to thicken. The compote is ready when the rhubarb is tender and beginning to fall apart and the juices look thick, about 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 1 week.
OBSERVATIONS & NOTES:
1. Molly uses orange liqueur, such as Cointreau, Grand Marnier in her recipe and I don’t have any. A cheap bottle of golden rum is all I have and it worked beautifully. I added the zest of half an orange to mimic the flavor. If you don’t have orange liqueur, I highly recommond adding the orange zest.
