strawberry rhubarb crumble

I grew up hating rhubarb. I don’t even know when I tried it, but I did and I hated it and I never wanted to try it again. My mom, on the other hand, loved rhubarb. As the sole fan in the house, she never got to have it. For mother’s day I would sometimes make a strawberry rhubarb pie and it made her so happy. My mom and my grandmother would dig right in with glee, my dad ate it because he eats just about anything and everything, and my sister and I refused to even try it.

This spring, everywhere I looked I saw amazing, mouthwatering pictures of dishes with rhubarb. I became convinced that I was wrong as a child and that I actually did like rhubarb. I became obsessed with trying it and felt overwhelmed with all the amazing looking recipes floating over the intertubes. Then I saw some beautiful strawberry rhubarb tartlets at Clear Flour Bakery and ooooh, I wanted them, but tarts are always so expensive and I figured I could just make some and it would be more fun that way anyway. But I had trouble finding a recipe for the rustic strawberry rhubarb tartlets that I had in mind. I was really intrigued by Smitten Kitchen’s recipe for rustic rhubarb tarts, but since I still wasn’t really sure that I actually did like rhubarb, I was nervous about doing it straight up. I figured I would improvise and picked up some gorgeous magenta rhubarb before the weekend, excited to make some tartlets.

But our relaxing, low key three day weekend suddenly became hectic and harried and the idea of rolling out pastry dough in a hot kitchen and making little tarts became less and less appealing. I was still committed to making something with the rhubarb and strawberries and then it hit me. I would make a crumble! Crumbles are so easy. Just mix together your fruit filling, make the cobbler crust, and throw it on top!

The verdict on the rhubarb? So good! The tartness is just wonderful with the sweetness of the strawberries and what can I say, it tastes like summer. And with the cold rainy spring we had, this cobbler was a really nice way to celebrate a warm sunny day. Now I’m really excited to try the all rhubarb tartlets from Smitten Kitchen because I want to see how they hold up without strawberry. I can’t wait to cook with it as much as possible before it slips out of season. Do you have any favorite rhubarb recipes?

Print Recipe

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler #

Adapted from Two Peas and their Pod

I somehow forgot to get turbinado sugar at the store, which was disappointing because I really like turbinado sugar. I used brown sugar instead and it worked fine. I also used a little more fruit than was originally called for and added orange zest.

Ingredients #

For fruit filling:

• 4 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb

• 1 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1 tablespoon corn starch

• 1 teaspoon orange zest

For the cobbler crust:

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 cup butter

• 1/4 cup milk

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions #

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, mix the rhubarb and the strawberries with the sugar, corn starch, and orange zest. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes to bring out the juices.

2. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of sugar, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Cut the butter in with a pastry blender or two knives. Combine until the mixture resembles coarse crumb and then add in the milk, egg, and vanilla and stir until just moistened. Be careful not to overmix.

3. Pour the strawberries and rhubarb into a 2-quart casserole dish or deep pie dish, or individual casserole dishes/ramekins. Drop the cobbler batter on top of the fruit. Sprinkle turbinado sugar over the cobbler topping. Bake for 50 minutes for a single dish or 30-35 minutes for ramekins until cobbler crust is golden brown and fruit filling is bubbling. If desired, serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Serves 6