easy rhubarb compote.
a slightly bitter, mostly sweet jelly-like topping that goes well on cheese boards, in sandwiches, and on top of baked desserts.
Makes: 1 cup Prep time: 05 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes jump to recipe.
You all know I am the most meat-and-potatoes kind of person out there, but even I believe having something sweet on your charcuterie board is important. Usually it’s a sliced apple or a stylish bunch of grapes. This summer I’ve been sneaking lychee nuts on my boards, which has been a (mostly) welcome addition. But if you have a little bit of time to prep? You need a compote.
Of course, you can use a compote for a million different things. It’s basically a jelly (sorry, culinary nerds), and can be used in sandwiches (makes a great, super-different PB&J), slathered on pastries, or spooned over desserts like pound cake or cheesecake bars. It’s versatile and something you should consider storing in the fridge for the summer to add a little pizzazz to your dishes.
It’s not quite a jelly, by the way — jellies are cooked down from juice and have a smooth texture. Compote is kind of chunky. The beauty of a compote is that the fruit breaks down on its own with just a little heat, making it super quick and easy to put together.
Cheeses to pair with compote
My favorite way to use this compote is on a charcuterie board, probably because I don’t eat a lot of dessert. I love the balance of salty-sweet, and I love that the compote isn’t overly sweet. You can certainly make it sweeter, but at that point, you might as well use a sweeter fruit like raspberry. Enjoy the rhubarb for what it is!
Cheeses to pair with rhubarb compote on a charcuterie board:
swiss - not the sliced, holey stuff at the store. The nice, mellow swiss cheese sold in the fancy cheese section.
white cheddar - i don’t think it tastes very good with yellow, but you can certainly try it. White is a great mellow base with more sharpness than a soft cheese would have.
gruyere - cousin of swiss, and a good pairing if you don’t love the sourness of swiss cheese.
brie - there isn’t a lot that I think brie doesn’t pair with.
blue cheese - not my favorite pairing, but if you need something funky on your board, choose blue. it will offer something really bold and interesting (so serve it when you have your artist friends over)
goat - i wouldn’t choose an herby goat cheese here. Just a plain block or one mixed with fruit would be great, and a really simple, linear choice. Most people love goat cheese and crackers.
ricotta - an outlier, to be sure, but an option. This, cottage cheese, labne, or yogurt would be good on a board with foccacia or naan, where the bread can hold the more liquidy cheeses. It’ll be kind of like a parfait, and would make a really filling board. I’d suggest this as an option for breakfast (because breakfast charcuterie should be a thing).
Something to know about rhubarb
Rhubarb is very seasonal, even in our manufactured, always-seasonal grocery world. You won’t find it year-round. At best, you’ll find it packaged as cut pieces in the pre-packaged fruit sections of nicer grocery stores, or frozen in the fruit and vegetable freezer aisles at specialty markets. So if you see the long, bright red stalks pop up towards the end of spring, pounce on them.
Your best bet is late April, May, and most of June, and the best place to find them is at the farmer’s markets. To make the best compote, you’ll want those bright, pinkish-red stalks that are kind of soft, though a greenish stalk won’t hurt you (it just won’t be quite as pretty in compote form). If the stalks are woody and tough, you are probably too late in the season (though, in an effort to be low waste, you can still give compote-ing a try).
easy rhubarb compote ingredients
rhubarb: As mentioned above, you’ll want the pink-ish red, tender feeling stalks. They’ll still be firm, of course, but will be poke-able, not tough and woody. There will be a suppleness to the texture. If your stalks are on the green side, they will taste fine, but the compote will take on a deeper, more brown color. For that pretty pink hue, you do need to be picky about the stalks.
sugar: It will feel like a lot of sugar, but once the rhubarb breaks down, you’ll find that the amount is less scary than it originally seemed. Rhubarb is pretty bitter on its own, so it needs sugar to taste sweet. If you really aren’t sure about using a half cup of sugar, try it with half and add more as needed at the end. You might find that you prefer it less sweet!
vanilla: Vanilla extract, for a little bit of woody flavor. I know, usually vanilla is considered sweet, but when you’re working with fruit and sugar, it takes a back seat. You can omit it, but it adds a really nice balance.
Yes! Only three ingredients. Didn’t I say this was easy?
rhubarb compote pairing options
Assuming you’re using this on a charcuterie board with the cheeses listed above, here are some other things to add to make a full, harmonious board:
rosemary sea salt crackers
fig crackers (trader joe’s and heinen’s have amazing versions that pair great with brie)
stuffed olives - gouda, blue, or salami stuffed are a great salty pairing
focaccia
beef salami
prosciutto
mint leaves
rosé wine
prosecco
