
Penina from Jacques Pépin’s Kitchen: Cooking with Claudine, published by KQED Books ©1996
Rhubarb and Strawberry Coulis
Rhubarb and strawberries are especially good when cooked together into a coulis, or thick soup.
Sweetened with a little sugar and some jam, the coulis is tasty and beautiful served in deep plates, with a spoonful of cream on top and cookies or sliced pound cake on the side.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds rhubarb, washed, trimmed of any leaves and imperfections, and cut into pieces 1 inch across by 3 inches long (4 cups)
- 1 cup strawberries, washed, hulled, and halved or quartered, depending on size
- ¾ cup jam (any type of berry)
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
- Cookies or pound cake, for serving
Method
- Combine the rhubarb, strawberries, jam, sugar, and water in a large stainless steel saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 10 minutes, or until the fruit is well cooked. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until serving time.
- Fold the sour cream and heavy cream together.
- Ladle the coulis into soup plates and garnish each with a few tablespoonfuls of the cream mixture. Serve a few cookies or a slice of pound cake alongside.
Recipe Source

Essential Pépin: More than 700 All-Time Favorites from My Life in Food
For the first time ever, the legendary chef collects and updates the best recipes from his six-decade career. With a searchable DVD demonstrating every technique a cook will ever need.