Strawberries & Rhubarb

It started with a combo lunch—buy a small salad and soup, get a piece of pie.  Strawberry Rhubarb Pie.  Lunch ended, the pie arrived and before my fruit filled fork hit my mouth, the kids had polished off my piece and were lobbying for seconds.  (Which I also got only a bite of, come to think.)

After this exercise in maternal altruism, my duty was clear; I needed to try a homemade pie.  Problem is, I had never cooked with rhubarb and didn’t have a clue. Can you believe a Midwestern foodie could get to bleep years old without ever cooking rhubarb? 

I ended up at the Smitten Kitchen blog where it was clear she had done some serious testing to get a great pie recipe.  But after looking at the crust instructions, I was both intimidated and time-challenged (having only an hour to complete the dish and dash to a camp orientation—have I mentioned that our summer is controlled chaos delightfully busy) so I ad-libbed with a crisp.  

Here is the final product, filling courtesy of Smitten Kitchen , crisp derived from multiple sources. 

 Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

 Filling

• 3 1/2 cups (about 1 1/2 pounds, untrimmed) rhubarb, in 1/2-inch thick slices
• 3 1/2 cups (about 1 pound) strawberries, hulled and sliced if big, halved if tiny
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca

Topping 

• 1/3 c oatmeal
• 1/3 c whole wheat flour
• 1/3 c brown sugar
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/4 c butter

Directions 

1.  Combine dry topping ingredients.  Cut in butter with a fork or pastry blender until it resembles sandy crumbs. 

2.  Combine filling ingredients in a separate bowl.

3.  Pour filling into 8 x 8 pan.  Scatter topping over filling.

Sprinkle Topping on Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

4.  Bake at 350 for approximately 40 minutes.  Filling should be bubbling up around pan sides.

Baked Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

5.  Let sit for 30-60 minutes (if you can wait) to allow filling to cool slightly and gel.  Top with ice cream or whipped cream for a special treat. 

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Tip: Strawberries are regularly on the EWG’s “dirty dozen” list of most contaminated fruits and vegetables, so consider buying organic if you can. 

Most of the dish disappeared that night and the rest the next day.  I love being able to make a dessert that is quick, easy and full of whole foods!

Do you have a favorite healthy treat?

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