Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

 

I'm a fan of the rhubarb.  As a kid both grandmothers had huge rhubarb patches.  For a treat they would cut off a stalk and trim of the leaves and give us a bowl of sugar to dip the ends into and munch away.  

Both grandmothers did a lot of pies with rhubarb as the star or supporting role supplementing blueberries or strawberries.  This recipe pays homage to their pies only in the form of a crisp.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh rhubarb, 1-inch diced (about 3 stalks)
• 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 1 cups granulated sugar, divided
• 1 t vanilla
• 2 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 3/4 cup quick-cooking (not instant) oatmeal, such as McCann's
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced

Preheat oven to 350F, lightly grease an 7 X 10 inch baking dish.

Put sliced rhubarb in with 1/4 c water and 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a sauce pan.  Gently bring to a boil and stir just enough to dissolve sugar.  Simmer 2-3 minutes until rhubarb is just for tender.  remove from heat and allow to cool.

While rhubarb cools hull and slice the strawberries.  Place in a mixing bowl, add 1/4 teaspoon salt, vanilla and corn starch.  Toss lightly.  Gently fold cooled rhubarb mixture into the strawberries.  Add the strawberry mixture to the prepared baking dish. 

In a mixer with the paddle attachment add flour, brown sugar, remaining 1/2 c granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, cinnamon and oats to the bowl.  Add cold diced butter.  Mix on low until a crumbly dough forms.

Drop the oat mixture onto the fruit mixture in the baking dish.  I use golf ball sized pieces and scatter it about the top of the fruit.

Place baking dish on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake 60-70 minutes until golden brown on top and fruit is bubbling.

Blueberry Rhubarb Cobbler

 

File this under stupid easy baking for a seasonal treat.  The balance between the tangy rhubarb and sweet wild blueberries is really tasty.  

Rhubarb is such as seasonal offering that I make this when it is fresh and ready in the Spring.  Its that farm to table, peak of 

Wild Blueberries have a much more intense flavor and are WAYYYYY better than the grape sized varieties sold fresh at the local groc.  I use the frozen wild blueberries for maximum flavor.  I get the jumbo bag of Wyman's Wild Blueberries sold at Costco.  Of course both HEB and Kroger sell bags of frozen wild, but they cost sooo much more than Costco.

I use vanilla bean in the making of this dessert, but you can substitute good vanilla extract or paste.  Simply add it to the rhubarb blueberry mixture before pouring into the baking dish.

Blueberry Rhubarb Cobbler

Filling

• 2 stalks rhubarb cubed (about 2 heaping cups)
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1/4 c water
• 1 vanilla bean pod
• 2 1/2 c Frozen Wild Blueberries
• 1 T corn starch
• pinch of salt

Cobbler Topping

• 1 C All Purpose Flour
• 1 C sugar
• 1 stick butter melted
• 1 egg beaten
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 2 t baking powder
• Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 400F

In heavy bottomed pan place sliced rhubarb, salt, sugar and water.  Cut a slit length wise through the vanilla pod.  Scrape out seeds.  Add Vanilla seeds and pod to the rhubarb mixture.  Over medium heat bring to boil and reduce to simmer.  Stir occasionally.  When sugar is completed dissolved and rhubarb is softened .  Remove from heat and fish out the vanilla bean pod.

Put frozen blueberries and corn starch in a mixing bowl. Toss lightly to disperse the cornstarch.   Add the slightly cooled rhubarb mixture.  Toss gently and pour into 8X8inch baking dish.  Place baking dish on a baking tray.

In stand mixer with whisk attachment add flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking powder.  Give it a short spin on low to mix the ingredients.  With mixer on low add beaten egg and mix until it resembles coarse sand and all flour mixture absorbed.  About 2 minutes.

Spoon topping over the filling with a spoon.  Level topping gently with back of spoon.  Evenly pour over the topping the melted butter.

Bake 55-65 minutes until topping is deep golden brown and filling is bubbly.  Cool on wire rack.  Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Blueberry Rhubarb Pie

Growing up spending summer with my Grandmothers in Ely Minnesota I managed to learn a few things about Blueberries and Rhubarb.  FACT.  They go together great in a pie.  No kidding.

This version is based loosely on my Grandmothers recipes.  I twisted it up with the inclusion of half a vanilla bean split and seeded to up the flavor quotient a bit.  Just remember to fish out the pod before you mix the filling.

I'm also a blueberry SNOB to the nth degree.  Those nasty grape size things sold in the grocery store certainly ARE NOT blueberries.  They are gritty, lack flavor and not worth the hard earned cash you spend on them. What is however worth it is buying frozen wild blueberries from Trader Joe's or similar grocery store. Yes you pay a premium but what you gain in texture and flavor is worth every buck more they cost you over the domesticated stuff.  Take that bit of wisdom to the groc your next trip and get the wild blueberries.

Blueberry Rhubarb Pie

• 2 sheets pie crust
• 3 stalks rhubarb
• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 1/2 c water
• 1/2 vanilla bean pod
• 3 c wild blueberries
• 3 T corn starch
• pinch of kosher salt
• 1 egg
• 1 T water
• 2 t coarse raw sugar

Preheat oven to 425F

Trim root end and leaves from rhubarb.  Slice into 1/2" chunks.  In non-reactive pan add sugar and 1/2 cup water. Add rhubarb. Split vanilla bean pod and scrape out seeds, adding seeds and pod to mixture.  Stir to dissolve sugar over medium heat.  When it begins to boil reduce heat and cook 5-8 minutes until rhubarb is just fork tender. 

Remove from heat. Remove vanilla bean pod.  Add frozen blueberries and corn starch. Fold gently to combine. Set aside to cool.

Roll out bottom crust and loosely fit into pie plate.  Add cooled pie filling.  Roll out remaining crust for the top of pie. Gently place top crust onto pie.  Gently fold under into the bottom crust and crimp edges to seal.  Cut steam slits into top crust. 

Combine egg and 1T water, beat to incorporate.  With a pastry brush, lightly coat the top crust with the egg wash.  Sprinkle with coarse raw sugar.  Place pie on a baking sheet to catch spills.  Bake for 1 hour.  At the half hour mark you may need to put foil on the edges of the pie to prevent from burning.
Cool on wire rack to room temp before serving.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

This pie would have done either of my Grandmas proud.  Perfectly tart Rhubarb and just a hint of citrus and a touch of sweetness.  Not overly sweet as that would hide the tartness of the Rhubarb.

Pie crust...its the bane of my existence.  It really is. I just don't have a dough hand, my Grandma Z never met a dough she couldn't master...me not so much.  But with so many really terrific pie crusts already made...just unroll and use why bother?  Pillsbury for years has made the best, but now even Ralph's and Albertson's do a decent store brand.  Save yourself some time and bother and go that route when you're in a hurry.

Instead of regular sugar on top of the pie I use Turbanado sugar.  Its a raw unbleached sugar that is coarser and because its darker it lends a light caramel note to the taste instead of just sweet.

Save your clean oven from a kitchen disaster.  Place your pie plate in a baking sheet.  If your berries or rhubarb are "wet" you'll have a boil over and the baking sheet will catch it instead of your oven floor.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

• 2 pie crust sheets to fit 9" pan
• 1 lb diced rhubarb
• 1 lb sliced strawberry
• 1/2 c sugar
• 2 T corn starch
• zest of one lemon
• juice of one lemon
• egg
• 1 T Milk, cream or half-n-half
• Turbanado Sugar

Preheat oven to 400F

Place 9" Pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet.  Place 1 sheet of crust into the pie plate and set aside.

Dice/Slice rhubarb into half inch cubes.  Slice strawberry's. Combine fruit in large mixing bowl.  Zest lemon and add it and lemon juice to the fruit mixture.  Combine sugar and corn starch and whisk with a fork until it combines to prevent lumping.  Sprinkle on top of fruit and fold lightly to combine but not crush fruit.  Pour into prepared pie plate.

Place top layer of the pie crust on the bottom crust.  Center.  Fold edges under and crimp decoratively.  Mix egg and milk.  Brush egg mixture on top of pie crust.  Sprinkle with 1-2 teaspoons Turbanado sugar.

Place in oven and bake 40-50 minutes until bubbly and golden brown.  Check pie half way through, if edges getting too brown place a browning shield on the outside edges or use aluminum foil to do the trick.  Cool to room temp...enjoy!

Fruit filling in pie plate sitting on a rimmed baking sheet

Egg washed and sugared ready for the oven

One complete pie, note the boil over went onto the sheet not my oven!

Strawberry Rhubarb Dump Cake

I found tons of recipes for Strawberry Rhubarb Dump cakes.  Most called for even more butter and sugar than my sensibilities could stomach.  The one thing no one did that makes mine distinctive and the ultimate is that I use a strawberry cake mix instead of a boring old white or yellow cake mix.

I also used vanilla sugar.  That's stupid easy to make.  Take split vanilla bean pod and stick it in a jar with a cup of sugar.  The Vanilla will permeate the sugar in a weeks time.  A good use for a used vanilla bean pod.  If you don't have vanilla sugar handy you can use regular granulated sugar.

Strawberry Rhubarb Dump Cake

• 1-1 1/2 lbs Rhubarb
• 1 box strawberry cake mix
• 1 3 oz box strawberry jello
• 1/2 c vanilla sugar
• 1/3 c melted butter
• 1 c water

Preheat oven to 350F
Spray a 13X9 baking dish with cooking spray

Trim ends of rhubarb and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.  Split thicker stems lenghtwise if needed so you don't have massive chunks of rhubarb.  Place cubed rhubarb in baking dish.

Sprinkle over vanilla sugar over the rhubarb.
Sprinkle jello over the rhubarb mixture.

In mixing bowl whisk together cake mix with 1 c water and the melted butter.  Whisk until is just comes together.  A few small lumps won't harm the batter.

Pour batter over the rhubarb mixture and smooth to the corners.  Bake in preheated oven 40-45 minutes until set and top is lightly golden.  Cool completely.  Serve at room temp or chilled.

layers of rhubarb, vanilla sugar and jello

Strawberry Rhubarb Dump Cake done

Blueberry Rhubarb Crisp

I know I have ranted about blueberries in the past, but if you can't pick your own wild buy the frozen wild from either Trader Joe's or Safeway's "O" brand.  Do not buy those dreadful grape sized flavorless gritty things that the markets try to pass off as blueberries, you are doing yourself a grave disservice if you do.  Call me a blueberry snob, I fit the profile.

That said, Rhubarb is in season.  That is one of those love it or hate it plant materials.  I love it. I remember getting a bit stalk as a kid and a bowl of sugar and eating it raw as a kid on my grandma's farm.  It was quite the treat.  And the things she would bake up with it were simply amazing and whenever I make it now it brings me right back to their kitchens.

Rhubarb is a very tart, stringy and tough stalk.  It does need to be pre-cooked, or at least that is how I remember it being done as a kid.  As it is very acrid I'd suggest you use a non-reactive pan when cooking it so you don't pick up any metallic aftertastes. Pre-cooking also tenderizes it so it will be perfectly tender to the tooth in your baked goods.

Blueberry Rhubarb Crisp

• 3 stalks (about 2 c) diced rhubarb
• 1 12 oz package frozen wild blueberry
• 1 c water
• 1 c sugar
• 2 T corn starch
• 1 1/2 c oat meal
• 1/2 c flour
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1/4t cinnamon
• 1/2 c butter melted

Combine rhubarb, sugar and water in sauce pan.  Bring to boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved.  Simmer 5 minutes.  Remove from heat, cover and cool to room temperature.
Toss blueberries with corn starch.  Fold in rhubarb mixture.  Put into an 8"X8" baking pan
In mixing bowl with paddle attachment mix oat meal, flour,cinnamon and brown sugar until blended.  Slowly pour in butter with mixer on slow speed.  Mix until it resembles course sand.  Sprinkle mixture over fruit.  Put in 350F oven and bake 35-40 minutes until bubbly and top is browned.