Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

When you are from Wisconsin and your grandma lovingly gives you some of her home-grown rhubarb, as a dutiful granddaughter you MUST make a strawberry rhubarb dessert. Duh! The tartness of this misunderstood, celery-like rhubarb needs the sweetness of the strawberry to create the perfect dessert balance. Add a crisp to the top. And a dollop of vanilla ice cream. And hello summer!

If you must know, I sacrificed my waistline and gluten and dairy-free lifestyle to bring you this delectable post. I was forced to make it two times and spent weeks eating the leftovers because throwing it out would be - horrifyingly wasteful. Inner glee emerged when the first strawberry rhubarb crisp failed - too much liquid and not enough crisp - because it meant a second crisp was in the near future. My waistline was thankful when the second crisp came out perfect. However my taste buds' hopes were a bit dashed as it yearned for a third iteration.  

Here are my baking notes. I combined two recipes together - one from Ina Garten for the fruit portion and one crisp topping from allrecipes. The error in Ina's recipe is that is calls for far too much orange juice and not enough cornstarch, so my first crisp was incredibly soupy. Reducing the orange juice and doubling the cornstarch was the perfect fix. By the way, if you're wondering if you can get away without the orange juice and orange zest, you are mistaken. It adds an incredible layer of flavor.

When it comes to a crisp topping, I am as picky as they come. My biggest issue is when they are too crispy or hard. Who wants a hockey puck crisp? Additionally, more often than not, the crisp is not sweet enough for me. {Have I ever mentioned that I didn't have sugar as a child? I'm making up for it as an adult.} What I discovered after many years of experimentation, all my crisp woes are solved when white sugar is eliminated and only brown sugar is utilized. This is my perfect crisp recipe. Well. Almost. The glutton in me needs more crisp to fruit ratio, so I made 1.5 times the recipe. Is this indulgence necessary? I swear it is! Now I can finally exclaim...crisp perfection!




Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
adapted from Ina Garten and allrecipes
8 servings

Ingredients
4 cups rhubarb (4-5 big stalks)
4 cups strawberries (cut in half if big)
1 1/4 cups of white sugar
1 1/2 tsp of orange zest (from 1 large orange)
2 tbs cornstarch
1/3 cup orange juice (from your 1 orange)
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
heaping 1/4 tsp baking soda
heaping 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup butter, melted (1.5 sticks)
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

1. Clean the rhubarb and strawberries. Cut the strawberries in half (if they are big) and cut the rhubarb into 1 inch pieces. If the rhubarb is large, you may have to cut the stick in half vertically before cutting into 1 inch pieces. Add and mix sugar and orange zest to the strawberries and rhubarb.

2. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch to the orange juice and stir to blend. Then add to the strawberries and rhubarb mixture.

3. For the crisp, combine the following ingredients (oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, melted butter & cinnamon) in a medium bowl and mix well to combine.

4. In a 9"x13" pan, layer the strawberry and rhubarb mixture on the bottom and crumble the crisp mixture on top.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes to 1 hour until top is golden brown. Let it rest for 30 minutes. It will still be warm after this time. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy this summer scrumptiousness!