Recipe: Rhubarb and Vanilla Bean Compote With 5-Spice Roasted Pepitas
You can plan on just eating it straight from the saucepan. Use your best serving spoon!
When rhubarb first appears in our local markets, my first thought is to run home and turn it into this tangy and sweet compote for my sheep’s milk yogurt and/or locally made vanilla ice cream. The addition of fresh vanilla bean makes this so fragrant and delicious that you will happily eat it just as it is by the serving spoon full! Consider the addition of the five-spice pepitas as optional, but do try them-
Rhubarb and Vanilla Bean Compote with Five-Spice Roasted Pepitas
Makes about 2 cups of compote
For the compote:
¾ pound rhubarb, cut into ½ inch thick lengths — about 3 cups
½ cup turbinado or other raw sugar
Half a vanilla bean pod, scraped
For the five-spice pepitas:
½ cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 Tablespoon cold-pressed pumpkin seed oil or canola oil
¼ teaspoon 5-spice powder
Combine the cut rhubarb with the sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low heat. Scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean pod and stir to combine. Cook just until the rhubarb falls apart, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Add the pepitas and oil to a skillet. Saute over medium heat until the pepitas turn a light golden brown and start to pop. Remove from the pan and coat while still warm with the five-spice powder. Let cool.
