Upon tasting strawberry-rhubarb anything, it becomes evident why this fruit and veg duo are a classic pair. Strawberries soften rhubarb’s tart edge, and rhubarb lends complexity to the sweet berries. While strawberries cook down into juicy mush, rhubarb holds its shape – sometimes too much. The strawberries’ juices help break down the rhubarb, which in turn lends body to fillings that might otherwise turn soupy. Strawberry’s vermillion hue adds color to the sometimes green-red stalks, taking the color of the final dish from drab to rosy red.They are truly a match made in culinary heaven.
With these odds stacked in my favor, I thought that making a strawberry-rhubarb crisp worthy of sharing on this site would be a cakewalk. I wanted it to be gluten-free, not overly sweet, with a well-cooked but thick filling, and with a topping that lived up to its name.
Instead, this is the sixth rhubarb crisp I’ve made this month. Granted, I’ve had a lot of rhubarb to work with (many thanks to Jay’s folks for the continued abundance!), and eating rhubarb baked into my favorite fruit dessert is hardly a chore. Crisps come together quickly, keep well, and make a superb breakfast, snack or post-prandial treat. But finding a topping that would stand up to the copious juices of the fruit/veg dream-team proved challenging.
I first tried pre-cooking the rhubarb, as recipes by Nancy Silverton (for a cobbler) and Cook’s Illustrated (for a pie) directed. But when made into crisps, these were the soupiest of all, needing well over an hour in the oven, the topping dissolving into the filling and leaving only small patches of streusely bits in its wake, the fruit disintegrating into a shapeless (though tasty) compote.
My favorite filling turned out to be the simplest: raw rhubarb cut fairly small and strawberries in larger chunks tossed with sugar (brown for depth) and a small amount of cornstarch. This filling baked into a thick and chunky compote. I took a cue from Heidi Swanson and used a bit more rhubarb than berries, rather than the 50/50 ratio called for in most recipes, which keeps the tart complexity from getting obscured.
After a couple of dissatisfying tries with a typical streusel topping, I turned to the plum crumble that I posted about last September.Marion Burros’ recipe contains egg and baking powder in the topping as well as the usual streusel subjects, and employs the curious mixing technique of combining the dry ingredients with egg to make a fluffy crumble, then drizzling melted butter over the top. My friend Amelia discovered that the original recipe could easily be made gluten-free (thanks, A!), so I swapped out the wheat flour for oat and rice flours, and added some rolled oats as well.
The resulting toppingstood up to the bubbling fury below with aplomb, staying crunchy on top even several days post-baking, and tasting like a lightly spiced oatmeal cookie. The fruit-to-topping ratio is spot-on, with some of each in every bite.
What makes this dessert really pop is a scoop of Fresh Ginger Ice Cream melting over the top, the cream smoothing the flavors of fruit and spice, the ginger turning the fruit duet into a lively ménage à trois. If I were serving this with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream instead, I would add 2 tablespoons minced candied ginger to the filling along with the fruit so as not to miss out on this stellar threesome.
Rhubarb rhumba:
Rhubarb Buckle
Apple-Rhubarb Pandowdy
Rhubarb Chutney
One year ago:
Two years ago:
(Gluten-Free, Vegan) Hippy Crispies
(Gluten-Free) Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble
Adapted from Marion Burros’ Plum Crumble via The Wednesday Chef and Orangette
Makes 6-8 servings
Serve this with Fresh Ginger Ice Cream, or add 2 tablespoons minced candied ginger to the fruit and serve the crisp with Vanilla, Black Pepper, or Honey Yogurt ice cream instead.
If gluten isn’t an issue for you, you can use all-purpose or whole wheat flour in place of the cornstarch, rice and oat flours. If gluten IS an issue for you or your guests, make sure that your flours and oats are certified gluten-free.
The filling:
1/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
pinch salt
1 pound trimmed rhubarb, sliced 1/4″ thick (about 4 cups)
3/4 pound strawberries, hulled, quartered if large, halved if small (about 3 cups)
The crunchy topping:
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons organic granulated cane sugar
3/4 cup oat flour
1/4 cup white rice flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 egg, beaten well
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoons coarse sugar (such as “sugar in the raw”) for sprinkling
Position a rack in the center of your oven, and preheat to 375°F. Place an ungreased 10″ tart or pie pan (or a 10″ oven-proof skillet) on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the rhubarb and strawberries, and gently toss to coat. Spread the fruit in the prepared pan and set aside.
In another medium bowl (or the same one, scraped fairly clean), sift together the granulated sugar, flours, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the oats. Add the egg and, using your hands, mix thoroughly, squeezing, tossing and pinching handfuls of the mixture, to produce moist little particles. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the plums.
Use a spoon to drizzle the melted butter evenly all over the topping, and sprinkle evenly with the coarse sugar.
Place the crumble in the oven and bake for 45-60 minutes, until the top is deeply golden and the fruit is bubbling thickly. Cool slightly.
Serve the crumble warm or at room temperature (preferably with fresh ginger ice cream!).
The crumble will keep in the fridge for a few days. Re-warm in a 300º oven before serving.
I made this crisp for my family for our BBQ today. It was fantastic and i received many compliments on it. It had the perfect balance of sweet and tart. I didn't have an ginger or ginger ice cream on hand but I look forward to trying that next time i make this, and there WILL be a next time. Its also the best crisp topping I've ever made. I plan to hold onto this topping recipe for all of my future crisps. Thank you for sharing this!
Thanks for giving the recipe a go, and thanks for the glowing review! I'm thrilled that you like the crisp topping – let me know what else you use it for. : )
Ps. I like your blog – so fun!
I made this for my family today. It was wonderful! I did use almond flour instead of oat flour (didn't have any on hand) and I cut down the butter to only 4 tbspns. It was wonderful… and just enough leftovers for me to indulge in tomorrow!! =) Thank you so much!
I'm so glad you liked it! Almond flour sounds like a delicious substitute- so good to know it can be used in place of the oat flour. Enjoy the leftovers!
Super yummy! Definitely a keeper.
I also made this vegan by substituting 1/2 mashed banana for the egg and leaving off the butter drizzled on top. AMAZING!
Thanks for sharing!
That's fantastic – thanks for commenting! I'm impressed that those substitutions worked out! I'd imagine one could also substitute Earth Balance Buttery Spread for the butter, (I'd leave out the salt), or a lesser amount of melted coconut oil (maybe 6 tablespoons).
Oh, I was thinking of the Earth Balance, but forgot about the salt. My son is also dairy free so I have to find lots of substitutions.
Let me know if you give the Earth Balance a go.
It was my first time cooking with rhubarb. So, naturally, I turned to a trusted source. Super good, Alanna. Thanks!
BTW, I even used less sugar and it turned out perfect for my palate. And since it turns out my husband and son don't like rhubarb, well…
Hi Suzuki, Thanks for putting your faith in the Bojon Gourmet – I'm so glad you enjoyed the crumble! Did you decrease the sugar in the filling or the topping?
I substituted a 1/2 cup coconut flour and 1/2 cup almond flour and used mostly sucanat to sweeten it. Also substituted 1/2 of the butter with coconut oil. Tastes amazing, will be making it many more times this summer!
Those sound like killer modifications – I'll have to try 'em next time. Thank you so much for commenting!
This thing is spot on. Simple, easy to follow, and killer taste. The crust is just killer. I'm not much of a gluten free guy, but I'l be making this again for sure. Couldn't find ginger ice cream, so I grated fresh ginger into creme fraiche. The ginger works well with it. Thanks.
Hi Dan, So glad you liked it! Fresh ginger creme fraiche sounds awesome. If you don't want to go gluten-free, you can always use all-purpose wheat flour in place of the oat and rice flours. :)
This is the best crumble/crisp I've ever made! The egg was the secret! I sub'd brown rice flour and almond meal flour for oat flour.
Hi Elena, I'm so glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing your modifications – fantastic to know that brown rice and almond flours work here. :)
AWESOME DESSERT! I've made this twice and I adapted it to make it vegan. First time I used some mashed ripe banana to replace the egg and subbed melted coconut oil for the butter. It was delicious! Second time, used banana again, but subbed a stick of Earth Balance for the butter. Again, amazing! It was crispy and decadent. Nobody would've guessed it was vegan and gluten free. A HUGE hit at both gatherings. I made it at both places "on site", since it's so easy to put together. I just brought the ingredients for the topping and the mixture to coat the fruit in a couple of ziploc containers, chopped the fruit right before assembling it and baked it while we were having lunch. Both houses smelled INCREDIBLE! Thank you, thank you for helping me get over my fear of rhubarb! I will never avoid those pink stalks at the farmer's market again :-).
Yay!! I'm so glad you like the crisp, Vanessa! Thank you so much for sharing your modifications. So great to know that this can so easily be made vegan – fantastic. :)
PLEASE NOTE: Oats are not gluten free. If you are making this dessert for someone with coeliac disease like me, they will be very ill!!
That's incorrect. Oats that are certified GF are GF. Bob's Red Mill makes them, or you can order them here: http://glutenfreeoats.com/
Thank you very much for the suggestion of pairing ginger ice cream with rhubarb. My guests were dazzled!
Oh fabulous, I am excited to try this. Do you think I could use all oat flour rather than part rice?
Hi Rachel, You could certainly try! It might be a bit more tender that way, but it will certainly still be delicious. Please let me know if you give it a try!