Roasted Strawberry and Rhubarb Compote

Preheat the oven to 180˚C.

Hull the strawberries and halve any large ones. Cut the rhubarb into 6 cm lengths. Combine all the ingredients in a shallow baking dish that will hold them snugly. If the dish is too large the syrup will catch and burn before the compote is cooked. I used a 25 cm x 35 cm wide dish.

Roast, uncovered, for about 40 minutes, gently moving the fruit every 10 minutes until the liquid is reduced and syrupy. The strawberries will release a lot of juice during cooking but this reduces to form a thick syrup by the end of cooking. Don’t stir the fruit roughly or it will disintegrate.

The compote will keep in the refrigerator for 1 week. Makes about 2 cups

Serving suggestions: Serve over muesli for breakfast; fill cooked, sweet pastry tart cases; sandwich a sponge together along with whipped cream; serve as an accompaniment to slices of Madeira or pound cake; serve with scones or pikelets.