This sauce is so easy to make and elevates any old dairy product or cake varietal to “bursting with spring flavor” level. I served it over Lemon Yogurt Olive Oil Cake with vanilla ice cream last weekend to rave reviews. We tried it on cheesecake at work and it was DIVINE. Drew and I put it on Greek yogurt and have no complaints.

 

Slice up your cleaned rhubarb stalks (pink nails optional)

Toss the rhubarb, strawberries, lemon zest and juice, sugar and a scraped vanilla bean in a pot and let it cook down into a soft rustic sauce (pink spatula mandatory)

 

See those black specks of vanilla bean, the warm sweetness of the vanilla tempers the tartness of the rhubarb

 

 

Vanilla Bean Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce

makes about 3 cups

Ingredients

1/3 cup sugar (add more if your sauce is too tart)

1/3 cup water

1 pound rhubarb stalks, cleaned and diced (you can use frozen Rhubarb if fresh is not available)

1 quart strawberries, cleaned, hulled and halved

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

1 Vanilla Bean, split lengthwise and scraped of seeds

Directions

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat combine sugar and water. Stir to dissolve sugar. Add rhubarb and allow to simmer for 15 minutes or until tender. Add strawberries, lemon zest, lemon juice and the scraped vanilla bean seeds and whole pod. Simmer for 10-15 minutes more until the fruit has broken down into a soft sauce. Remove vanilla bean pod and allow mixture to cool for about 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

Enjoy,

Lydia