Rhubarb and vanilla compote

I remember standing in a queue in the Parisian bakery Ten Belles on rue Bréguet, trying to figure out what to order for breakfast after a 2-hour train trip. There was plenty to choose from, starting from pastries to sandwiches and seasonal granola bowl. I took the latter, which, 10 minutes later, arrived in a generously filled bowl almost to the top, making it the biggest and most plentiful bowl I have ever had. Somewhere beneath that pile of crunchy hazelnut granola was freshly boiled rhubarb compote and fromage frais. And, somewhat by the end of that bowl, I was in love.

350 g rhubarb
2 tbsp golden caster sugar
1/2 vanilla pod
120 ml water
a pinch of salt

Put all of the ingredients in a pot and boil on medium-high heat until soft and mushy; that will take around 20 minutes. Sometimes less and sometimes more, depending on the rhubarb. Cool and keep in a jar until using. Serve either with fromage frais, yogurt, some dessert or just as it is. And, if you like it to be sweeter, add more sugar when you start.

In partnership with Kilner