Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
If ever there was a personal ad for food, it would read; “Fresh Rhubarb looking for a sweet time with a sexy strawberry. Warm crunchy topping essential, vanilla ice cream optional.”
Ok, I can’t honestly say I have ever read a personal ad, or written one for that matter, but what a match you have when you pair the tart of rhubarb with the sweet of strawberry. This recipe has a touch of cinnamon in the crunch topping, and orange juice and zest in the filling. It’s addictive. It’s the quintessential spring dessert, and the minute I spy rhubarb my wheels spin with dreams of crisps and pies and preserves. This crisp was the first. It won’t be the last.
Crisps are amazing because they bake up and reduce to a point where the juices thicken and bubble under a blanket of crunch and crumble that not only meets the texture but also the flavor of the dessert. It hits all of the senses, and it really does deliver. So many times I am able to talk myself out of a processed dessert because, it never really tastes the way you think it should. This is a dessert that appeals to the eye as well as the taste buds.
The funny thing is, as a kid I never understood the love for rhubarb. It has the look of red celery and it’s tart, tart, tart. I love citrus, but rhubarb has a level of tart all its own.
This dessert is based on Ina Garten’s recipe. I have a colossal baking dish especially for this type of recipe, so I changed the proportions, added cinnamon to the crisp, and a little more zest than the original…because I love orange zest. End of story.
Slice the strawberries, chop the rhubarb, and set aside. Mix your orange juice, sugar, and cornstarch and coat the berry mixture.
I use a box grater to grate my cold butter and find it cuts into the flour/oat/sugar mixture easily. Top your berries and bake. So simple, and absolutely delicious.
When it comes to baking, I am not a fan of runny pies or crisps. I love that the cornstarch thickens the filling. I also bake it until it bubbles and the smell of cinnamon and strawberry rhubarb is so overwhelming you have to take it out of the oven.
In this window of time where rhubarb and strawberry growing season is just emerging and overlapping, take advantage and bake something delicious!
I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!
Chrissy
Click below for a printable recipe.
PrintStrawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Delicious strawberry rhubarb filling with a cinnamon crumble topping. Original recipe from Ina Garden.
Ingredients
- 6 Cups fresh rhubarb, cut into 1 inch dice
- 6 Cups fresh strawberries, sliced
- 1 3/4 Cups white granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons grated orange zest
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 3/4–7/8 Cup orange juice
- 1 3/4 Cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 Cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 3/4 Cup quick-cooking (not instant) oats
- 16 Tablespoons cold butter, grated
- 2 Generous teaspoons of cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*
- Slice strawberries and cut up rhubarb. Mix 1 Cup of white sugar and orange zest.
- In a measuring cup, dissolve cornstarch into orange juice, combine with sugar and zest.
- Pour mixture over berries and rhubarb and toss.
- Pour the mixture into the baking dish.
- Grate butter and set aside.
- Combine flour, remaining white sugar, brown sugar, salt, and oatmeal.
- Add grated butter and mix until the dry ingredients are crumbly and butter is evenly distributed.
- Sprinkle the topping over the fruit, covering it completely.
- Bake for 60-80 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown.
Which brings me to this recipe. I have never used Gluten Free Oats, I found these at Trader Joe’s actually for another recipe (coming soon). I wanted to play with them, and here was my opportunity to make that apple crisp. But, with blueberries. I love blueberries, and after being at the Fair, where Apple Crisp is sold in the Vermont Building and Blueberry Pie in the Maine building, it made sense. Let’s mix those two flavors and put an oat crisp topping on it!
