This is an easy, off-the-cuff dessert with plenty of options and jumping-off points. If you want something richer, feel free to use higher-fat yogurt. I pair the rhubarb with strawberries because the two have overlapping seasons and are such stunning partners, but if you’ve got access to other good fruit, this parfait also works beautifully with blackberries, raspberries, blueberries—even winter citrus, such as neat slices of Cara Cara or blood oranges, clementines, or tangerines.

　　

Ingredients

6 or 7 large rhubarb stalks, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch slices (about 4 cups)

　　2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced (about 2 tablespoons)

　　1/2 cup sugar

　　1/3 cup water

　　1/4 cup ripe, in-season strawberries

　　4 large mint leaves, stacked, rolled, and thinly sliced

　　1/2 cup fat-free or low-fat Greek-style yogurt

　　

Step 1

Combine the rhubarb, ginger, sugar, and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the rhubarb and ginger are tender, about 10 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat to medium-high, and let the mixture bubble away until it has slightly reduced and thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Reserve 1/4 cup for the parfait and refrigerate the remaining 1 3/4 cups in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks or freeze it for several months.

　　

Step 2

When you are ready to eat, drop a few strawberries in the bottom of a large-bowled wineglass or champagne flute and sprinkle with a little mint. Add a tablespoon of cooled rhubarb-ginger sauce and 2 to 3 tablespoons of yogurt. Repeat a few times, ending with strawberries and mint.

　　Cooks' Note

　　The recipe makes about 2 cups of rhubarb-ginger sauce, enough for 8 servings of parfait. You can refrigerate it for up to 2 weeks or freeze it for months.

　　Reprinted with permission from Serve Yourself: Nightly Adventures in Cooking for One by Joe Yonan. Text copyright © 2011 by Joe Yonan; photographs copyright © 2011 by Ed Anderson. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.Joe Yonan is the food and travel editor at the Washington Post, where he writes the award-winning "Cooking for One" column. Joe's work also earned the Post the 2009 and 2010 James Beard Foundation's award for best food section. He is the former travel editor at the Boston Globe. Visit www.joeyonan.com.