100% homemade

What could be better, on a hot summer morning, than a bowl of yogurt (that you made yourself) topped generously with tangy strawberry-rhubarb compote (that you made yourself)? Not much, I'm willing to say, not much. That's precisely what I enjoyed for breakfast a few days ago:

















It's a pretty great combination: the smooth, creamy texture of the yogurt is complemented by the rough, chunky quality of the compote, and the yogurt's sourness --which can be sort of one-note --is happily interrupted by bits of the sweet, soft fruit. The best part about the whole deal? The recipe for the compote, if you can even call it that, is laughably simple and takes about 15 minutes from start to finish. Now that's my kind of breakfast.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote
Makes 1 1/2 cups

1. Using a damp towel, wipe clean 3 stalks of rhubarb (look for ones that are very firm and have a deep pink color). If neccessary, peel the rhubarb with your fingers--just pull back the outer, stringy layers and discard them. Chop rhubarb into 1/2" pieces.
2. Rinse 1/2 pint of strawberries, preferably the small, intensely red kind. Halve them.
3. Place all the fruit into a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan and add 1 - 2 tbsp. of water. Using a microplane or zester, zest 1/2 a lemon into the pot. Finally, add 3 - 4 tbsp. of sugar, depending on the sweetness of the fruit. Stir to combine.
4. Place the pot over medium-low heat and cook for about 8-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fruit is soft but still has some texture. Cool and refrigerate.