Strawberry Rhubarb Compote/ Pie Filling (refined sugar free)

Hey people, I am finally starting to feel better and am back with some recipes this week and I will be aiming to post a review as well. Thanks for being patient and continuing to check in while I was away.
Before we get to the lovely Compote recipe you came to check out, I want to say a very big
HAPPY 3 YEAR ANNIVERSARY to my beloved. 3 Years ago today my peanut butter asked his raspberry jam to be his girl and she said yes! We have been love boids ever since and I am feeling super blessed, blissed out, and very grateful for this huge gift Abba brought to our lives. I love you honey tongue!

Back to food.
So, we went to my aunt and uncles place just before I got sick, and I was really happy to get away from all the noise and concrete jungle of suburban life. They don't live in the country but they are at the midway point, far enough to be surrounded by houses with space and modern conveniences but a ways out enough, that it feels calmer, you feel like it's easier to breathe and much more relaxed. Cool thing is that my aunt has a garden and has been big on growing rhubarb, which I got to bring a bunch of home! If you didn't know, I adore this stuff. It's tart, tangy, bright, and mingles so well with strawberries that I go a bit nuts when I get my hands on it. I have been known to scoff it down without feeling guilty that I finished a whole mason jar in less than two days. Shocking I know, reminds me of the organic turkey bacon incident of 2013. Don't ask, Poppa Bear still brings it up with a tone of disbelief and reprimand every chance he gets, and I am still so okay with it. Teehee

Here's my rhubarb, yes, I got three bunches! Perfect for the 3 year anniversary, fun coinkidink!

 Below is the finished product, I didn't take pictures of the steps as I made this because there was a horrible storm out, the lighting was awful indoors and I was still too run down to make the effort to pull out extra lamps. I did however take pictures a few days later of a ginger rhubarb and cherry variation, which shows a quick breakdown, I also include the how to for that yum scrum recipe down below.

I had to stop eating this compote from regular markets a while ago, as the refined sugar was something I had become unable to tolerate and the amount of sugar used in jams, jellies, and compote/spreads, is so high now that I have found myself not liking it one bit. Hence this recipe that I decided to do on a whim, I used maple syrup and organic coconut sugar aka palm sugar. Yes, these both go through a refinement process and I would not recommend them all the day long, however, they are a great alternative and my tummy does not freak out when I use them. Bonus, they are way less sweet and I find this allows the actual fruit flavour to shine through instead of being masked.
If you have never heard of compote here's a little wikipedia action for you that will get you up to speed:
Compote (French for "mixture") is a dessert originating from medieval Europe, made of whole or pieces of fruit in sugar syrup. Whole fruits are cooked in water with sugar and spices. The syrup may be seasoned with vanilla, lemon or orange peel, cinnamon sticks or powder, cloves, other spices, ground almonds, grated coconut, candied fruit, or raisins. The compote is served either warm or cold.
Compote conformed to the medieval belief that fruit cooked in sugar syrup balanced the effects of humidity on the body. The name is derived from the Latin word compositus, meaning mixture. In late medieval England it was served at the beginning of the last course of a feast (or sometimes the second of three courses), often accompanied by a creamy potage. During the Renaissance, it was served chilled at the end of dinner. Kompot – made from the juice and syrup rather than the fresh – remains a popular drink made from homegrown fruit such as rhubarb, plum, sour cherry or gooseberries in Poland and Russia.
Compote may have been a descendant of a Byzantine dessert.
Because it was easy to prepare, made from inexpensive ingredients and contained no dairy products, compote became a staple of Jewish households throughout Europe.



Thanks wiki! Now for the recipe:

STRAWBERRY RHUBARB COMPOTE:

Ingredients:
4 Cups Fresh chopped rhubarb
3 Cups Sliced strawberries
1/2 Cup Spring water (if using frozen fruits, do not use more than 1/8 Cup of water)
1 tsp Lemon juice
2 Tbsp Vanilla extract
1/2 Cup Coconut sugar
1/4 Cup Maple Syrup (the darker one)
1/4 tsp Sea salt (pink)
2 tsp arrowroot starch mixed with 1 tsp water

Method:

-In a medium non-reactive, heavy based saucepan, add all *ingredients EXCEPT maple syrup and arrowroot starch. Keep the last two aside for now.
-Bring what is in pot to a boil, reduce heat to medium and stir.
-Add maple syrup and stir. Allow to cook on medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
-Add arrowroot starch/water mixture into pot, stir right away until thoroughly incorporated. Allow to cook for 2-3 more minutes until thickened. Turn off heat and remove to hot plate, allow to cool.
-Once cool, you can fill in jars. I use 2x 500 ml mason jars. This recipe is not a canning recipe, it is really meant to be kept refrigerated and eaten within 2 weeks maximum.
-You can use the filling in an already cooked pie shell, as a dessert topping for cake/coffee cake, on ice cream, to layer a parfait, serve with pudding or whipped cream. The possibilities are limited to your imagination. I love it on toast and on waffles.

 *Here is the Cherry, Ginger Rhubarb variation. Talk about YUM! This one I devour on my gluten-free pumpkin spice waffles.

4 Cups Rhubarb chopped
3 Cups Sweet Dark Cherries, pitted
1 tsp Ginger, fresh grated. (use 1/2 tsp if you don't like an intense hit of ginger background flavour)
2 Tbsp Vanilla extract
1/4 tsp pink sea salt
1/2 Cup coconut sugar
1/8 Cup Maple syrup
1/2 Cup water (1/8 Cup if fruit is frozen)
2 tsp Arrowroot starch mixed with 1 tsp water.

Method and storage is the same as above. Please note that this recipe variation does not use the lemon juice. It is not needed, however if you want to add another flavour dimension, feel free to add1 tsp lime juice with the zest of 1 lime. What fun!
Oh, I hope you try this recipe out and let me know all about your kitchen adventures! Leave your comments or questions down below and remember to subscribe.