We’re smack in the middle of rhubarb season. Have you picked any up yet? I can’t resist the dark red color of rhubarb stalks, and love pairing its tart flavor with something sweet.

Today we’re bottling up that pink + tart goodness in a compote. This will keep in your fridge for weeks and perfectly preserves this early summer gem.

I was looking through our archives, and it appears that the only other rhubarb recipe we’ve posted is for a rhubarb mojito. This compote recipe is a 180 on that syrup recipe. Here we have a higher concentration of rhubarb and quite a bit less sugar.

Rhubarb Compote

• 1 lb rhubarb stalks, rinsed and chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, sliced down the middle

Place the rhubarb, sugar, and water in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Continue simmering and stir periodically until the rhubarb has broken down. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the vanilla bean. Let cool and transfer to a jar for storage in the fridge. This mixture almost filled a 1 pint jar.

Isn’t it beautiful? We love to serve the compote over vanilla ice cream. It would also make the perfect tart filling or accompaniment to a simple cake. If you cook up a batch, we’d love to know how you use it!