A sugar-free rhubarb compote made with erythritol, with its cooking juices served as a drink topped up with sparkling water.
Served well chilled, a spoonful over plain yogurt adds a bright tartness without making it heavy. Preparation takes about 12 minutes, including 10 minutes of cooking. The rhubarb cooks quickly with powdered erythritol rather than sugar, yielding a soft compote. After a brief draining, the pulp thickens, while the already sweetened cooking liquid, collected in a bowl and topped up with sparkling water, makes a simple, refreshing drink. One to file alongside my keto sauces and dips.
How it works
Cook rhubarb stalks with a little water and a sweetener, then separate the pulp from the liquid. Here, compote means rhubarb cooked until soft: a moist, slightly fibrous purรฉe that becomes thicker after draining in a sieve, rather than a firm jam. The rhubarb used consists of the leaf stalks, the fleshy stems known for their tartness; the leaves are toxic and have no place in cooking.
For 500 g of cleaned rhubarb, use 3 tablespoons of water and 3 of powdered erythritol. Cooking gets underway quickly in a small saucepan, then the stalks release their own juice. After about 10 minutes of cooking, stirring regularly, the pieces break down into a purรฉe. Draining separates the compote from the already sweetened liquid: about 300 g of compote and 200 ml of juice, with slight variations depending on the stalks and draining time.
Origins and uses
Rhubarb compote is a spring and early summer staple, when firm stalks arrive at market stalls. It pairs well with plain yogurt, fromage blanc or an unsweetened mascarpone mixture, its tartness providing a contrast that is often softened in sweetened compotes. This version keeps the cooking time short, replaces sugar with erythritol and includes a brief draining step: one saucepan yields two uses, a spoonable compote and a fragrant juice for drinks. Its color, whether pinkish, greenish or brownish, depends on the variety, not on how successfully the recipe turns out.
The main ingredients
Rhubarb, 500 g once prepared, is the main ingredient: its fibers provide body, its water forms the cooking juice, and its tartness provides most of the flavor. Choose firm stalks that are not overly soft, wash them and cut them into pieces, putting only the stalks in the saucepan. Powdered erythritol adds sweetness without adding sugar: three tablespoons soften the tartness while preserving the lively flavor of the rhubarb, and the powdered form dissolves easily, minimizing graininess as it cools.
Granulated erythritol can replace it, but should not be added on top of it; check the label, as some sweetener blends have different levels of sweetness or contain sugar. The water is deliberately limited to 3 tablespoons: it gets the cooking started and prevents scorching, then the rhubarb takes over with its own liquid. Adding more would dilute the flavor and lengthen the draining time.
Texture, serving and storage
The texture depends mainly on the cooking: stir very regularly to distribute the heat and prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom. The pieces soften, break down and form a moist purรฉe; the aim is a soft compote thickened by draining in a sieve, without a lengthy reduction. The sieve holds back the pulp and allows the liquid to drain into a bowl, without trying to push everything through. Serve the compote cold or warm over plain yogurt, fromage blanc or an unsweetened mascarpone mixture, whose milky sweetness softens its tartness; top up the juice with sparkling water or add it to a blended drink.
Let the compote and juice cool separately, then refrigerate them in clean, airtight containers: this is a fresh, perishable preparation. Freezing in small portions works very well; reheat gently, stirring to preserve the texture. For a low-carb diet, pure erythritol is generally not counted toward net carbs, while rhubarb naturally contains sugars. The whole batch, made with 500 g of rhubarb, contains about 115 kcal. Look for the stalks in the produce section in spring and early summer, and powdered erythritol in the health food aisle or at a specialty store.
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Sugar-Free Rhubarb Compote
Ingredients
- 500 g rhubarb cleaned
- 3 tablespoons erythritol powdered, or granulated erythritol
- 3 tablespoons water
Instructions
Purรฉe
- Wash the rhubarb and cut it into pieces.500 g rhubarb
- Place in the saucepan with the water and erythritol.3 tablespoons erythritol, 3 tablespoons water
- Cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
- You will now have a fairly wet purรฉe.
Compote and Juice
- For a slightly thicker consistency, strain the rhubarb through a sieve. This leaves about 300 grams of rhubarb compote.
- Collect the liquid. You will have about 200 ml.
