Strawberry Rhubarb Compote (Sugar-free!)

With the British royal wedding this weekend, you might be wondering what to make for your early morning celebration. Because of course you plan to get up at the crack of dawn to watch the proceedings. And what could be more British than a compote? You might serve this with freshly baked scones, a sponge cake, or layered with custard in a trifle. Or perhaps with something less traditional like cheese blintzes or a cheesecake. If you want to go in a different direction, maybe spoon it over french toast, waffles, or pancakes.

This is probably the first compote I have made in many years. The reason is that I tend to be very lazy. I'm not one to make sauces and gravies as I think these are just too much trouble and not worth the effort. But I picked a bunch of rhubarb from my garden, considered the options, and decided a compote might be the best vehicle for getting this ingredient into a dessert. (If you search this blog, you will also find recipes for grain-free vanilla rhubarb cake and a delicious rhubarb crisp.)

I also baked a triple almond cheesecake this morning. I'm hoping the compote will be yummy spooned over a slice of the cheesecake. Normally I add dark chocolate chunks to my cheesecake, but I kept this one simple--oat and almond crust, almond extract in the batter, sliced almonds on top.

I used frozen strawberries in the compote, only because that's what we had on hand. At this time of the year, you can find excellent fresh strawberries, if you'd prefer to use those. I don't think it makes much difference in the final product as the compote is cooked.

One more note: you can use sugar in this recipe if you like. I am avoiding sugar, so I have substituted liquid stevia. Without any sweetener, the compote will be extremely sour. I like sour stuff, but this definitely needs some type of sweetener. Choose one that works for you.

Ingredients:

1 lb. frozen strawberries (or fresh!)
1/2 lb. chopped rhubarb (fresh or frozen)
Juice of half a lemon
Stevia or other sweetener, to taste (I used about 5 drop of liquid stevia.)

Place rhubarb, strawberries and lemon juice in a saucepan over low heat. Cover and bring to a simmer. Remove lid so steam can evaporate and mixture can thicken. Cook until rhubarb is soft and tender, stirring frequently. Mixture will thicken without any additional thickener. Let cool and add sweetener to taste.