Rhubarb & Strawberry Crumble

A few weeks ago, I bought a half-flat of strawberries (I love spring) with grand things in mind. I was thinking jam, freezer jam, pie, strawberry-topped french toast, perhaps an attempt at homemade turnovers (never mind that I only had half a flat and not an entire pallet), but as is usually the case with strawberries, by the time I was ready to begin my culinary escapades 36 hours later, they had almost all been devoured, because really, what better way is there to eat strawberries than fresh out of your hand? I was, however, able to steal a pint from my husband and daughter. Soon thereafter I stumbled upon this recipe from EatingWell.com, and it just so happened that I had some rhubarb in my freezer. It appeared we were in business.

Aside: If you've never had it before, don't be afraid of rhubarb. Think of it as a strawberry's tart little friend. The two were made for each other, I'm pretty sure of it.


Rhubarb & Strawberry Crumble from EatingWell.com
(Did I mention that I got this recipe on EatingWell.com and didn't create it myself? I did? Oh, good.)

For the filling:

1 pound rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (4 cups)
1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

For the crumble topping:

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon cranberry or apple juice


Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a large bowl, mix ingredients for filling. Transfer the mixture to a shallow 1.5 quart baking dish or deep-dish 9-inch pie plate, pressing down on the fruit to form an even layer.

In a separate bowl, combine oats, 1/2 cup flour, brown sugar, butter and oil. work the ingredients with a fork or your fingers until mixture is crumbly. Stir in the juice until the mixture is evenly moistened.

Distribute topping evenly over the fruit. Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden, 35 to 40 minutes.

Not a Pie, Still Delicious

Blackberries were on sale the other day, so I decided to pick some up. I got some raspberries, too, because I think blackberries are too tart on their own. By the time I got home from the store, the berries were begging to be something greater than a salad ingredient, so after dinner, I obliged.

I made a pie crust and set it on a cookie sheet, then mixed the berries with a couple of teaspoons of sugar, a couple more of cornstarch, a squeeze of lemon juice and a bit of zest. Then I piled the whole thing in middle of the pie crust and folded the edges of the crust over the top, leaving just a small area in the middle uncovered, put it in the oven and let it bake for an hour-ish.

I don't know the technical name for this concoction- I've heard them called tarts and crostatas and words I can't spell, but whatever it is, it's really good- especially with a scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt on top. The only thing I would do differently next time is add a touch more sugar to the berries, and maybe do an egg wash or some sugar on the crust to pretty it up a bit.



Even with a suck-tastic camera, it looks delectable.