Compote Rose

[Pink Compote]

I've always been a great fan of tart and acidic things. I also love the French word for this special combination of tastes, "acidulé", which perfectly conveys the idea of something colorful and tingly and refreshing. As a child, my favorite candy were the ones that gave your tastebuds shock therapy -- I remember with particular fondness those little flying saucers made of pastel wafer paper, filled with a pink powder that tickled and fizzed and made your tongue pucker and curl with delight.

Now that I'm a big girl who can read ingredients lists (E128, anyone?), I don't really eat candy anymore, and I just turn to more natural sources to get my "acidulé" fix. Rhubarb season is, of course, a very happy time for me, and it sees me consuming this wonderful, humble, versatile fruit in all shapes and forms, while it lasts.

Much to my glee, the latest Campanier basket included a kilo of rhubarb. I decided to go for simplicity, and made compote, in the oven, pairing the rhubarb with some raspberries I had in the freezer.

The compote took on the most lovely shocking pink color, and was as soft and tart and sweet as I had hoped. A cup of this, with a digestive biscuit to dip in, and I couldn't possibly think of anything else I'd rather eat. Well okay, if I think a little harder I can, but you get the point.

Compote Rose

- 1 kg rhubarb (untrimmed weight)
- 150 g raspberries
- 100 g sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F). Rinse the rhubarb, trim the ends, and cut the stalks in one-inch chunks. Combine them with the sugar and raspberries in an oven-proof dish.

Cover the dish with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, and serve with shortbread cookies or digestive biscuits.