Rhubarb Blueberry Crumble

This is such an easy to make, killer dessert.

I think my first word to Nancy Grove on Monday (our CSA farmer) was YAY. Harvest time has begun! I received our first batch of fresh, crisp vegetables. Rhubarb is only around for a short time in June, so get it while you can!

While picking up my veggies, there was a dish of homemade rhubarb crumble out to share (courtesy of Ed Grove). There wasn’t much left (sign of a good pie), as I was a late comer, but I did get a few spoonfuls & wow, it was good. As I walked away, I knew exactly what I had to do with the rhubarb sticking out of my produce bag. I don’t know how Ed made his, but I came up with a version that really hit the spot after that little tease =)

Tis the season…..!

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For the filling:

3 cups rhubarb, chopped (about 6 stalks)
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 TBSP water
1/2 cup natural sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

For the topping:

3/4 cup oat flour (or any flour you prefer)
1/2 cup natural sugar
1/4 tsp pure salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup rolled oats
7 TBSP butter, diced into small pieces (optional)

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• Add rhubarb and blueberries to a square 8 x 8 baking dish (or 9 inch pie plate) and sprinkle with water.
• Mix together sugar, cinnamon & nutmeg, then spoon over the top of the fruit.

Will look like this:

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• In the same bowl you just used to mix the sugar & spices, combine the flour, sugar, salt, & cinnamon (a whisk works well to help remove lumps from the flour, but a spoon is ok too).
• Mix in oats.
• Add butter.

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• Combine butter with flour mixture and sprinkle on top of the filling.

The butter will make the topping look lumpy:

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• Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes, or until rhubarb is tender & crumble is golden brown. You’ll see the filling bubbling over the topping a bit around the edges.
• After the 40 mins is up, you may need to put the dish under the broiler for 3 – 5 mins if it’s not already browned on top (I did).

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SIDE NOTES:

~ I couldn’t find any recipes in my books or online that looked right for me, so I took bits & pieces of each, made substitutions to fit my own needs, and ended up doing pretty well. (My son was licking the plate, which I consider a marker of success.) =)

~ First off, for those new to rhubarb, it looks somewhat like celery, except it’s mostly red (some green too). It’s one of the first crops to pop up in the spring, and is technically considered a fruit, even though it looks more like a vegetable. It’s very flavorful and very tart. That’s why this type of crisp calls for a decent amount of sugar – to balance out the tartness (but not so much that it completely overpowers the flavor). It all depends on your taste buds, but for us, the 1 cup of sugar in this recipe is plenty good enough. If anything, I might try cutting it back a bit next time, but in general, it’s a safe bet to start at 1 cup (1/2 for filling & 1/2 for topping) & see how you like it. Husband thinks this amount is just right & implored me not to change a thing.

~ You can use 4 cups of rhubarb and omit the blueberries if you’d like. Or – you can add 1 cup of sliced strawberries or 1 large, peeled/sliced green apple, instead of, or in addition to the blueberries. Play with it, using fruits that sound good to you.

~ I used maple sugar for both the filling & the topping. Was outstanding. Oat flour, besides being whole grain, is a perfect match for this type of dish, since rolled oats are included in the topping. It can either be purchased, or easily made at home.

~ If you’d like, you can divide the crumble topping and use half on the bottom as a crust (pressed into the baking dish before you add the rhubarb).

~  Feel free to double this recipe and bake as described above in a 9 x 13 pyrex.

Enjoy! =)

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