Rhubarb and Strawberry Crisp

I count rhubarb among spring mysteries. It’s a vegetable that’s treated as a fruit. It looks like blushing celery, but is actually part of the buckwheat family. Its leaves are poisonous, yet its stems are edible. Paired with sweet springtime fruits, it becomes a worthy partner in all kinds of dishes.  In this recipe it bakes into a beautiful rhubarb and strawberry crisp with a crunchy walnut topping.

On a recent trip to the market, I spied a huge pile of ruby-colored rhubarb stalks. I grabbed 3 stalks and headed home to figure out what to do with them.

I found my answer in Classic Home Desserts by the talented Richard Sax. His recipe for Rhubarb-Strawberry Crisp with Cinnamon Walnut Topping looked simple to put together, but complex in flavor. Sax wrote in the recipe’s headnote that rhubarb was as popular as apple or mincemeat for pie fillings early in American history. He noted, “In fact, so strong was the connection that for years people called rhubarb ‘pie plant’.”

Making the Filling

The rhubarb stalks I purchased were thick and had tough skins, so I peeled off that outer layer before slicing them. Combined with chunks of strawberries, a bit of brown and white sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice, the filling mixture was ready for the baking dish.

The Crisp Topping

Fruit crisps are a favorite dessert of ours, so I make them throughout the year using whatever fruit is seasonal. I noticed that Sax’s crisp topping had about half the butter, sugar, and flour that my regular crisp topping calls for. That lighter topping would allow the filling to be the star of the dish.

I appreciated that the topping called for cold butter—no waiting around for things to come to room temperature. Quickly I cut the butter into the flour, sugar, and cinnamon mixture. Last, I stirred in walnuts and the topping was ready to crown the fruit.

After 35 minutes in the oven, our golden-topped bubbling dish of crisp was ready.

We waited about an hour for the crisp to cool before digging in. The sweet strawberries pieces melded into the more sour rhubarb to balance the flavors. And the spiced walnut topping brought crunch to every bite.

We topped our servings with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, which seemed like a good let’s-have-dessert-on-the-deck move.

Summer officially begins next week, so I am glad we fit in one last spring mystery guest at the table.

Rhubarb and Strawberry Crisp with Spiced Walnut Topping

Sunnyside Cook

Dawn Dobie

Rosy rhubarb and strawberries baked up with a crunchy cinnamon and walnut roof for a great spring dessert.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Cooling time 1 hour hr

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

Fruit:

• 1 1/2 pounds rhubarb stalks --ends trimmed and fibrous outer skin pulled off, cut in 3/4-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
• 2 cups (1 pint) strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered if large
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tablespoon water

Crisp topping:

• 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Optional for serving:

• Vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt

Instructions

 

Fruit:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch ceramic dish or pie plate.
• Combine rhubarb, strawberries, both sugars, lemon zest and juice, and water in large mixing bowl. Stir well. Transfer to buttered baking dish.

Crisp topping:

• In a small bowl, stir together the flour, sugars, and cinnamon. Drop in the butter pieces and cut together with pastry blender or two knives until the mixture has become the size of large crumbs. Stir in the walnuts. Spoon the mixture over the fruit, spreading evenly.
• Place baking dish on a sheet pan to protect oven from spills. Bake until the topping is golden brown in color, about 35 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 30 minutes to an hour.

For serving:

• Serve warm, topped with ice cream or frozen yogurt, if you wish to.

Notes

Adapted from Richard Sax's Classic Home Desserts