Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble

You know what is good; strawberries fresh from the berry farm with the warmth of the sun still on them. You know what goes well with strawberries; rhubarb!!

Below is a recipe I found on Smitten Kitchen. If you haven’t been to this website you must go. It’s fabulous. She takes the best pictures (which are also for sale) and has the best recipes. She even has a book coming out. 

I bought a flat of strawberries from Moll’s Berry Farm this past weekend and even though there are 1 million things to do with strawberries I wanted something I had never made before and this recipe jumped off the page. I decided to make it last night. It was hot last night (yes it gets hot in Fargo!) and turning on the oven bumped the temperature up in my tiny kitchen by about 1000 degrees (or so it felt) but it was worth it.

As the crumble was baking, the smell drew me back into the kitchen repeatedly. I knew I shouldn't but I couldn't help myself; I kept looking in the oven. The berries were buckling under the heat and as they did their juices sprang forth like a volcano. When it was finally done and I took that first bite each individual flavor exploded on my taste buds. I puckered up from the tartness of the rhubarb and lemon. The strawberries danced in my mouth and as they descended, my stomach smiled. It was happy. Summer is here and life can’t get any better.

 

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble (taken directly from Smitten Kitchen)

For the topping:
1 1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons Demerara sugar (or turbinado sugar aka Sugar in the Raw)  Tiny Kitchen: I did not have this sugar so I replaced it with regular sugar.

Zest of one lemon
1/4 pound (1 stick or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:
1 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 quart (4 cups) strawberries plus a few extras, hulled, quartered
Juice of one lemon
1/2 cup sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons cornstarch (some commenters found the flour option a little too, well, floury so this has been updated)
Pinch of salt

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Prepare topping: In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugars and lemon zest and add the melted butter. Mix until small and large clumps form. Refrigerate until needed.

2. Prepare filling: Toss rhubarb, strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch and a pinch of salt in a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. (I used an oval dish this time, because they fit better in the bottom of a shopping bag.)

3. Remove topping from refrigerator and cover fruit thickly and evenly with topping. Place pie plate on a (foil-lined, if you really want to think ahead) baking sheet, and bake until crumble topping is golden brown in places and fruit is bubbling beneath, about 40 to 50 minutes.

From Tiny Kitchen: I whipped up some cream to serve with this. It's fabulous. Cool Whip will do if you don't have the whipping cream. Freshly whipped cream is better though...just sayin'

Side note: for zesting I suggest the best thing ever; the microplane. If you do not have one you must rush to your favorite kitchen store or 

Target and purchase one immediately.  They are the best at shredding cheese and zesting lemons.