Roasted Basil Scented Strawberry Rhubarb Compote

Romeo and Juliet. Peanut butter and jelly. Fred and Ginger. Cheese and crackers. Bert and Ernie. Penny and Leonard. Bacon and eggs…Well, you get the picture. These are a few things that go together, hand and hand. It's hard not to think of one without the other.

And in the spring, strawberries and rhubarb. It's the perfect combination of tart and sweet.

I made a compote and added some basil leaves because everywhere I look these days, there are recipes that combine strawberries and basil. It adds a really nice, subtle flavour.  This compote is a perfect topping for ice cream, yogurt, toast or cake. I think it would be great with grilled pork lion too.  It's been hard not to just eat it straight. I forgot how much I love it!! I put together parfaits with yogurt and a little granola and had it for breakfast. Wouldn't these be great for a brunch? You could definitely put these together ahead of time.

I chose to roast the compote in the oven because I didn't want to stand over the the stove and risk getting distracted and burning it. It would totally be something I would do. So instead I dumped everything in a pan and stuck it in the oven. So easy. The only thing I would recommend is not putting it in a too shallow pan because it creates a lot of juices and could over flow and make a big mess in your oven and then you would have to clean it up and that would TOTALLY piss you off (because it would piss me off!).

Roasted Basil Scented Strawberry Rhubarb Compote

4 cups strawberries, halved + 1/2 cup reserved strawberries, chopped
2 cups rhubarb, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 basil leaves
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 375F.
Combine the strawberries, rhubarb, basil leaves, honey and water in an oven proof pan. Bake for 25 minutes until bubbly and syrupy or until rhubarb is tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from the oven and stir in reserved strawberries. Cool completely.

m xo