Bake

Roasted Rhubarb and Strawberries

Name: Roasted Rhubarb and Strawberries
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: makes About 5 cups
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 cups coarsely chopped rhubarb; 2 cups hulled strawberries, cut in half; 1/4 cup maple syrup; 1/4 cup sweet vermouth; 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar; 1 teaspoon sea salt

by: Ladystiles

March 25, 2022

5 Ratings

Photo by James Ransom

Prep time 20 minutes
Cook time 40 minutes
makes About 5 cups

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Author Notes

Inspired by Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Everyday.

The more I shop at the local farmers' market (we have four each week) and find the best sources for local and organic produce, our meals radiate with simple fruits, vegetables, and good-quality meats. Sadly rhubarb is just passing the peak and strawberries are giving way to other summer berries. This is one last hurrah to the first sweet bounty of the season. I'm regretfully used to overly sweetened rhubarb dishes that tend to mask the bite that rhubarb offers. This, thankfully, is not one of those sugar-laden dishes. The rhubarb is delightfully roasted, holds its shape, and is complemented with a delicious syrup. Simplicity at it its finest. —Ladystiles

Test Kitchen Notes

Ladystiles, who developed this delightful roasted rhubarb and strawberries recipe, is a photographer and writer on her food blog, "The Beauty of Life." You won't be able to get enough of this classic combination of strawberries and rhubarb, wrapped up in a sweet-savory syrup, which consists of maple syrup, sweet vermouth, balsamic vinegar, and a touch of sea salt. Keep in mind that you can always season with more salt after it comes out of the oven, so less is more, depending on the type of salt that you use. Some reviewers have recommended cutting the salt in half, or using kosher salt instead of sea salt. Totally up to you!

This recipe also couldn't be easier to make. All you have to do is chop the strawberries and rhubarb, toss with the syrup mixture, and roast in the oven. The salt, vermouth, and balsamic take this dish into savory territory—in a good way. Serve spooned onto ice cream or a slice of sweet bread, a biscuit, oatmeal, or French toast. Or simply eat it out of a bowl with a spoon, it's that good. One commenter also recommended freezing after roasting, then breaking it up into pieces and adding to a smoothie. Fantastic idea, and one you ought to consider if you've got some extra leftover. Definitely have this recipe on hand whenever rhubarb is in season, and feel free to experiment with different types of fruit. Whether for breakfast or dessert, there are so many ways you can use the roasted rhubarb and strawberries. —The Editors

Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients

Directions

Place a rack in the middle of the oven; heat to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet or large baking dish with parchment paper (this is a juicy dish and you don't want the delicious juices all over your oven).
In a large bowl, mix the rhubarb and strawberries. In a small bowl, whisk the maple syrup, vermouth, vinegar, and salt. Pour over the rhubarb and strawberries, gently tossing to coat.
Spread the fruit on the prepared sheet in a single layer, drizzling the juices over the fruit. Roast for about 40 minutes, until the juices are thickened and the rhubarb is tender to the touch.
Transfer to a serving bowl and serve warm.
Do Ahead: The fruit can be roasted 1 week ahead. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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37 Reviews

Janet C. February 28, 2020

It's so tasty, I can't stop making it. I agree with those who said they prefer it with half the salt, even using a course sea salt

Carolyn V. June 3, 2019

love this recipe. I use it for rhubarb/strawberry smoothies, with powder protein greens, flax seed and topped with crushed walnuts. better then mosrt rhubarb desserts that take so much sugar, this doesn't

Carolyn V. June 3, 2019

after roasting these fruits, I cool and layout on parchment paper to freeze; when frozen; break up into pieces to add to a smoothie

Catrin May 21, 2018

Oh, yes on the salt— I added less than called for and still definitely too salty. And I love salt.

Deborah May 29, 2016

Just to emphasize - as others have written, yes, WAY too much salt. I've made it twice & forgot about the salt problem the second time. Now I've noted it on the copy that I printed. Halve the salt - you can always add more while it's warm.

Bar49 April 26, 2016

I made a baked rhubarb compote, just like this one and wrote about it on my memoir-ish food blog called Cooking the Kitchen. Here is a preview of my post. Check it out and do subscribe, and enjoy!

IF IT IS SPRING, IT MUST BE TIME FOR RHUBARB….

My favorite line in “A Christmas Memory” by Truman Capote is when the young narrator’s Aunt wakes up one morning, speaking aloud, and to her nephew Buddy, “”Oh my,” she exclaims, her breath smoking the windowpane, “It’s fruitcake weather!”” On my last shopping trip to the Food Coop, I purchased some thick, ruby red stalks of rhubarb. Like Buddy’s Aunt Sook, in Capote’s short story, I woke up and exclaimed to myself, “Oh my, it’s rhubarb weather!” Time to take the stalks out from the back of the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. They are so long, that placing them there horizontally, is the only place to store

Adrienne April 7, 2016

Delicious, but as per a previous comment, I will reduce the salt considerably next time - maybe as little as a pinch. You can always add more to taste. I added a couple shakes of cinnamon at the end.

Amandadp July 2, 2015

Loved this! Have made it twice in one week. Goes perfectly on ice cream, yogurt, bread and straight off the spoon!

JoAnn May 24, 2014

Delicious, however it doesn't make 5 cups of ROASTED fruit, more like 2.

Adelucchi May 14, 2014

Thanks for this recipe! I grew up in Texas and rhubarb was not in our life! So when I found rhubarb in my CSA box of course I looked to my favorite source for recipes. I read many recipes and this one spoke to me because of the oven preparation and the sugar content. I used date sugar and thats the only change I made. It turned out beautifully! I am using it with my homemade granola for breakfast and didn't have enough to try on ice cream or sorbet. Well, I guess I will have to hit the farmers market for more strawberries and rhubarb!!

LeeLeeBee May 4, 2014

I was inundated with strawberries (oh, darn) and just had to make this recipe, despite having no rhubarb or vermouth on hand. I substituted strawberries for the whole amount of the fruit and substituted orange juice for the vermouth. Delicious - and I'm sure that the recipe as written will be even better!

Sammi M. July 19, 2013

I made this for a dinner party and it was a huge hit! Everyone ate it up. It was very easy too.

The M. June 26, 2013

Made this tonight. Didn't tell anyone else about it because I just about ate the whole dang thang!

Sharyn A. May 30, 2013

Didn't have vermouth and only had a handful of strawberries. Used about 5 cups of rhubarb and 1/2 cup of strawberries, substituted some orange infused grappa for the vermouth - it's incredibly delicious! The strawberry flavor still comes through, the tartness is tempered while not too sweet. Will be making this over and over.

piacere May 25, 2013

Delectable! I had a little exttra, maybe 3/4 cup extra, rhubarb and tossed it all in. It was luscious with plain Greek yogurt for dessert and breakfast.

Jennifer A. April 21, 2013

So good! I didn't have the vermouth, and so used cream sherry. Used grocery store fruits, cannot wait to dry again with berries and rhubarb from the garden.

carswell July 24, 2012

I didn't have any red vermouth so I substituted Martini Bianco. Heavenly.

I drained all the juices into a small pan and concentrated them to a thick syrup. It makes the final product a bit more cohesive.

Coffee P. July 8, 2012

This recipe was K I L L E R. What a wonderful combination of flavors.

Margaret M. June 23, 2012

Genius -- never would have occurred to me to ROAST strawberries and rhubarb. Made it with dry Riesling instead of sweet vermouth. Delicious! Serving with frozen yogurt for dessert. Recommend!

davidpdx June 20, 2012

How easy is this! Just picked up beautiful rhubarb and strawberries from the Portland farmers' market; tossed the ingredients into the oven; and wow, what great flavors. Juice came out nice and syrupy, too. Tough getting it into a storage container, though: one spoonful for the container...one spoonful for me...one for the container...one for me...

tweeter10 June 19, 2012

This recipe is a keeper! Substituted white wine for Vermouth and it came out great!