strawberry rhubarb crisp

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strawberry rhubarb crisp

I'm not sure why we don't yet have a rhubarb plant happily growing in our vegetable garden, but (v. sadly) we don't. I remember my mom had a giant rhubarb when I was young, and my mouth waters when I think of the endless crisps I could make if it were mine. But alas, it is no more, so I can only dream of the early summer days when our local organic farm rolls out their oh-so-brief harvest. This year, I snagged a precious bunch and treated the fam to what we thought would be our one-and-only strawberry rhubarb crisp of the year, savoring each deliciously tart bite.

But then, much to my delight (I may be too easy to please...?), more stalks found their way into my kitchen thanks to our friendly neighbor who was bold enough to utter the dangerous words: take as much as you want (from her thriving plant). So we did. Kind of. I mean, I wanted more but one mustn't be too greedy, right? And very quickly, I whipped together the second tasty crisp to emerge from my oven. Resolving to hold off a little bit on the last one, I carefully tucked away the rest of the rhubarb for some mysterious day in the future. And then? Very nearly forgot about it. (I would really, really be kicking myself if I'd accidentally let it rot.) Lucky for me, I found it just when I was most in need of a little pick-me-up.

We had a very "when it rains, it pours" kind of week, and if you know me, then you know that I head to the kitchen when the problems of the world threaten to drown me. So Saturday morning found me doing a deep clean of my refrigerator where I came across that last bit of our rhubarb. Deciding that we not only deserved a treat but had actually earned it, I quickly got to slicing and the third—and final—crisp emerged from my oven. It's been just as delicious as the first two, maybe more, assuming there can't possibly be another rhubarb surprise coming my way this late in the season. So if you're a strawberry rhubarb crisp lover like myself, here's my recipe. And if you're not? Maybe you're about to become one... ;)

Strawberry Rhubarb Filling

• 4 cups organic rhubarb (sliced)

• 2 cups organic strawberries (sliced)

• 12 organic Medjool dates (pitted, soaked & chopped)

• 3 cups water

• 4 tablespoons organic arrowroot powder

• 2 teaspoons organic vanilla extract

Crumble Topping

• 1 cup organic raw almonds

• 1 cup organic rolled oats

• 4 organic Medjool dates (pitted & soaked)

• 4 tablespoons organic almond butter

• 2 teaspoons organic cinnamon powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F

2. Add the rhubarb, strawberries, dates, vanilla extract, and 2½ cups of the water to a saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer for 5 minutes or so, stirring once or twice.

3. In a small bowl, add the arrowroot powder to the remaining ½ cup of water and mix the two together thoroughly before pouring into the saucepan with the rhubarb mixture. Stir well, and it should almost immediately begin to thicken. Remove from the heat and let sit while you prepare the crumble topping.

4. Add all of the topping ingredients to the food processor and process until thoroughly mixed and crumbly.

5. Pour the thickened rhubarb mixture in a 9x13" baking dish.

6. Spread the crumble mixture over the rhubarb and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the topping is lightly browned and the filling is bubbling.

7. Top with fresh, sliced strawberries (if desired) and serve warm or chilled!

And that'll do it for today, friends. Hope your day is a super one :)

Much love,

Melinda