Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble
I’ve had a strawberry-rhubarb pie once before in my life. We were visiting my aunt’s parents in Maine and the only two things I remember from the trip are the lake water in Maine is WAY too cold for swimming and strawberry-rhubarb might be my favorite combination in the world. AND YET, until last week, I never tried to make anything with rhubarb. It’s hard to find in the grocery store around here and a little intimidating. I suppose I could grow it myself, but the leaves are toxic and I’d be worried about the kids or pets accidentally gnawing on them.
But when I saw fresh rhubarb in the grocery store last Wednesday I decided it was time to give it a shot. I knew there was a recipe for strawberry-rhubarb crumble in my Weight Watchers Cookbook so I grabbed some strawberries too (I love buy one get one free!). It would have been better if I remembered to grab all the other ingredients that recipe called for, but I made it work.
Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble
adapted from the Weight Watchers PointsPlus Cookbook (but I promise no one will know!)
Serves 8
Topping:
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons butter
Filling:
2 stalks rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about a cup)
2 – 2 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a 7 x 11 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray (you can use a slightly larger or smaller dish but be sure to watch your bake time)
Combine all the topping ingredients in a medium bowl. Using the back of a fork, break up the butter and stir it into the dry ingredients until it looks like crumbs.
Combine the filling ingredients in a large bowl and stir well until the sugar coats all the strawberries and rhubarb. Spread it out evenly into the baking dish. Repeat with the topping. Bake on the center rack for 50-60 minutes until filling bubbles and topping is golden brown.
I think it’s the perfect combination of sweet and not too sweet, especially with the crunchy topping. And the best part about a crumble is it’s not REAL baking, so if you need to substitute or switch ingredients it’s easily done without risking a huge disaster (ask me about the time I tried to make a pie from memory and forgot to put shortening in the crust. BLECH.)
Enjoy!
Mmmmm. My favorite dessert combo. My dad always gets pies from a farmstand on his way home from Hartford but that’s not really your side of CT. My mom did have rhubard growing when we were young and no kids or dogs ever tried to eat it. Rhubard plants also seem to thrive on neglect so there’s that.
We accidentally grew rhubarb when we lived in Massachusetts when I was a kid because we couldn’t kill it. I should see if I can buy it as tiny plants instead of seeds – I do better with tiny plants.
Oh, how I wish you were closer. I’m always inundated with rhubarb in the spring. The first year I worked at my current job, I (made the mistake) told my coworker how much Ryan and I loved rhubarb. Well, I am now given so much of it that it takes over my life and freezer in the spring. (If you use rhubarb for baking, freezing it all chopped up works pretty well.)
We love to make rhubarb/apple crisp, it tones down the tartness of rhubarb. But, now I’m thinking I should swap the apple for the strawberry. This looks delicious!
YUM! I’m going to try this next week when we have some guests!
These photos are delightful and summery. I can’t wait for my mother-in-law’s rhubarb to be ready for picking. See also… The leaves are poisonous? COMMENCE FREAKOUT!
I just had a friend (who shall remain nameless) end up in the ER because she bought what she thought was rainbow chard from a farm stand but was really rhubarb she sauteed up and ate. It makes you REALLY sick.
Hmm. I don’t even know if we can get rhubarb fresh out here. I’ll have to look for it. My husband would LOVE this.
Yum!
I’m so making this when my diet ends. YUM!
Oh god, I LOVE strawberry rhubarb pie. It’s my absolute favorite. I’m going to have to make this now. Thanks a lot. My pants already don’t fit.