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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Halva with a Rhubarb Compote

    Published: Jun 15, 2011 · Updated: May 21, 2020 by Peter G · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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    My halva with a rhubarb compote is a remake of a classic Greek dish. It's a beautiful winter dessert and one that I encourage you to make and enjoy.

    a Greek dessert known as halva on a cake stand served with a rhubarb compote

    Naturally with the weather being the way it is, I'm still craving comfort and warmth.  I wanted to play around with a Greek classic today.  Halvas.

    The version I linked to was made ages ago and utilised some pretty unique ingredients.

    Today's version is a little different in that I decided to serve my Greek halva with rhubarb.

    Yes.  Rhubarb.

    rhubarb stalks on a wooden board

    My thought process went something like this.

    Halva = quite sweet.  Rhubarb = tart.

    The rhubarb provides a wonderful tartness against the sweetness of the halva.

    I baked mine in the oven with a little brown sugar, some orange zest and a dash of cinnamon.  (this allowed the rhubarb to have a "tinge" of sweetness).
    The halva has orange and cinnamon too and in the end we end up with this glorious medley of winter flavours!

    a small bowl of rhubarb compote placed in front of a cake stand holding a Greek dessert called halva

    I'm also proud of the fact that I didn't stuff up the rhubarb.  This was my first time cooking with it and I loved how it turned out once it was baked.  This rhubarb compote is beautiful served over some Greek yoghurt for breakfast.

    I also wanted to point out a few things about the halva.  The first time I made it I was adamant about using "coarse semolina".  This time I used the fine version and it still worked out beautifully.  I also used butter this time instead of olive oil and I think I prefer it this way.

    a Greek dessert known as halva on a cake stand served with a rhubarb compote

    I served my halva slightly warm with a little of the rhubarb compote on the side.

    The only thing missing was a good dollop of Greek yoghurt.

    a birds eye view a Greek dessert known as halva on a cake stand served with a rhubarb compote
    a Greek dessert known as halva on a cake stand served with a rhubarb compote

    Halva with a Rhubarb Compote

    Author: Peter G
    A traditional Greek dessert known as halvas gets enhanced with a rhubarb compote.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr
    Total Time 1 hr 30 mins
    Cuisine Modern Greek
    Servings 8

    Ingredients
      

    For the rhubarb compote:

    • 500 g rhubarb , cleaned, leaves removed, stalks chopped into even 3 cm chunks
    • 125 g brown sugar
    • 1 orange, zested
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

    For the halva:

    • 125 g butter, unsalted
    • 1 cup semolina
    • 1 cup brown sugar
    • 2 cups water
    • ¾ cup walnuts, shelled
    • ½ cup slivered almonds
    • 1 orange, zested
    • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
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    Instructions
     

    For the rhubarb compote:

    • Preheat your oven to 170 deg C.
    • Place the rhubarb, orange zest and cinnamon in a baking dish and stir everything until well combined.
    • Cover your baking dish and cook for 45 mins - until the rhubarb is soft and jam like in consistency.
    • Allow to cool before serving.

    For the halva:

    • Melt the butter over a medium high heat in a saucepan. Add the semolina and continue stirring until the semolina turns into a lovely toasted, golden colour. Do not over cook this as it will taste bitter.
    • Add the sugar, spices and nuts and give everything a good stir. Add the water very gently and stir continuously.
    • The halva is ready when it has thickened and comes away from the sides of the pan.
    • Pour into a 16cm large dariole mould and cover with a plate until it has cooled slightly and set (I did this for 10 mins).
    • Turn onto a plate and serve it up with some rhubarb compote.

    Notes

    Any semolina will do. You can also substitute the butter with olive oil.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 serve | Calories: 492 kcal | Carbohydrates: 68 g | Protein: 7 g | Fat: 24 g | Saturated Fat: 9 g

    This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

    © Souvlaki For the Soul

    Made this recipe?Let me know how you went and tag @souvlakiman on Instagram!

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    Peter Georgakopoulos owner of Souvlaki For The Soul

    Yeia sou! I'm Peter! I consider Greek food to be the best food in the world. Let me show you how easy it is to prepare traditional and modern Greek recipes in your kitchen. And bonus points if you like baking too!

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