Jer: Rhubard Apple Ginger Compote

Like Elaine, I never cook or bake with rhubarb save one attempt at pie years ago that came out too mushy and tart for my taste. So I was eager to give it another try. It was hard finding some stalks that were in good enough condition to buy. Even at the San Francisco Ferry Building where one can typically find the best versions of almost any fruit or vegetable – the few stalks they had in one of the produce shops looked and felt like old celery. I think in the states (or at least in California) rhubarb inventory just doesn’t turn that often relative to some other fruits which we have in abundance.

I did finally some nice stalks with good color and weight at a specialty market in Pacific Heights. I used ground ginger instead of crystallized ginger and used a microplane for the orange rind instead of cutting the rind it into julienne.

But my compote didn't have much color and it just looked like a pile of mush (I must have stewed it too long). So what to do. Strawberries are in full force in California and I found a little market selling gorgeous specimens for only $1 a basket. So I brought home a few of those and folded fresh sliced strawberries into the compote after it had already cooled.

Served it last night for dessert over some sliced pound cake. I didn’t really like it with the cake, I think because it just made the cake mushy and the compote flavors hadn’t had time to really develop. It wasn't bad, it just didn't move me.

This morning, however, the compote was divine with some greek yogurt and granola. I think having it sit in the refrigerator overnight really allowed all the fruit flavors to come together and it set off against the thick yogurt and crunchy granola very nicely.

Freshly shelled peas and morrel mushrooms were also in full force at the SF Ferry Building (which in my opinion is the best green market in our country). So picked some up and made a risotto for dinner last night.

ps: sorry that my photos are so terrible. Pete is on a surfing trip with our camera so I'm making do with my camera phone :-)