*crispy waffle*

One of my favorite ingredients lately is rhubarb. This may be because I didn't grow up eating it at all, so it has that interesting novelty to it. I remember being curious about it in the supermarket, but that was the extent of it. We lived in a Filipino household, and it's not like they grow rhubarb in the Philippines, so that's that. My husband Kyle on the other had, grew up in a house with a giant vegetable garden out back where his parents would pull up loads of rhubarb every summer. I was actually introduced to properly using it as an ingredient by his mom, who, as I wrote in a previous post, made the most delicious rhubarb bread.

This recipe is for a crumble, which is one of my favorite desserts to make. First, it's super easy to make, like, right before dinner. Secondly, you can really improvise with the fruit, depending on what is in season and what you have on hand. You have blueberries? Pears? Go for it, just adjust the sugar accordingly. Rhubarb naturally loves strawberries and oranges, so try to use one or both of these (in the form of juice, zest, etc.) when using it. They are very, very happy together.

The crumble part is lifted from a Jamie Oliver recipe that I love because it seems to call for 100 grams of everything (sugar-- for the topping, flour, oats and butter), making it a very easy recipe to remember.

Please eat this with vanilla ice cream. (Or just as good, quark ice cream.) It just isn't the same without it!

Rhubarb strawberry crumble
adapted from At Home With Jamie

Ingredients
1 pound rhubarb, cut into chunks
1 pound strawberries, halved
200 grams brown sugar (1 cup, packed)
zest and juice of one small orange
100 grams AP flour (1-1/2 cup)
100 grams butter, cold and cut into chunks (7 tablespoons butter)
100 grams oatmeal (1-1/3 cup)
a pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C). In a medium saucepan, combine the rhubarb with 100 grams of the sugar, salt, and the zest and juice of the orange. Heat over medium heat and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the strawberries, if using.
Combine the flour, butter and remaining brown sugar (100 grams) in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the oats and toss it through with your fingers.
Spoon the rhubarb mixture into the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish. Sprinkle the oatmeal mixture over the rhubarb. Bake for 30 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the topping is brown and fragrant.
Cool and serve with ice cream.

Links
Crispy Waffle: Yvonne's rhubarb bread
Crispy Waffle: Vanilla ice cream
Crispy Waffle: Quark ice cream

Labels: recipes, the sweet

posted by sheryl | 9:26 PM |

How strange!

My neighbour just came over about an hour ago and gave me a huge bunch of rhubarb!

I love the strawberry combo, I think it is my fave! Your crumble looks so delicous!
By

bbaking 8/12/08 4:52 PM

Guess what...we can buy rhubarb here (in the Philippines) already! Albeit it doesn't appear often, and most times it's imported, but I saw some in a farmers market once and they said they were trying to grow it in Baguio :)

The crumble looks delicious!
By

ChichaJo 8/14/08 10:09 AM

Mmmm... Rhubarb & strawberries... so happy together! I just bought a mini rhubarb & strawberry pie on sunday @ Sendik's & my preggo butt already devoured it! The entire thing...with vanilla ice cream... by myself! Sad, huh?! Aye!
:-/
By

Mayette 8/20/08 2:30 AM