Confession #66: I JUST tried rhubarb... Strawberry Rhubarb Crumbles

This spring I caught the rhubarb fever. I'd never tried it before, but had seen plenty of recipes using rhubarb that looked so delicious, I finally decided I had to get my hands on some. So, knowing very little about rhubarb, off I went to the grocery store, where I chose three bright red stalks of rhubarb to take home. At the checkout, the cashier asked me what I was going to make with it, and when I told her I didn't know yet, she said that she thought it was so odd that people always use rhubarb in pie. "It's like celery," she said. "Who would put celery in pie? People should just dip it in peanut butter."

I hadn't tried rhubarb myself at this point, so I couldn't say much, but I was pretty sure she  hadn't tried it either. Yeah, rhubarb looks like red celery, and it kind of even smells like celery, but I think we make pies with rhubarb and not celery for a reason.

After that funny little encounter, I started perusing the internet to decide what I would make with my rhubarb. I knew that, when combined with sugar, rhubarb is supposed to have a tangy-sweet taste (kind of like cape gooseberries), and even before I tried it, I felt like I already knew the taste. I was so excited to incorporate it in a recipe, but I didn't want something jam-packed with sugar. When I came across the recipe for these crumbles, I was happy to see that they seemed light and fruity, just sweet enough to balance with the tang of rhubarb. I also may have been motivated to make them because I could use my new little ramekins. Just saying.

In the end, I didn't exactly make pie, so maybe the lady at the cashier would be happy to hear that (but probably not). Oh well; I would do it again! The crumbles were perfectly light and tasty, and because they're made with whole wheat flour, a bit of honey, and only a touch of brown sugar, they're good for breakfast or dessert. That's a big plus in my book!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumbles

Strawberry and rhubarb are the perfect duo for these sweet little crumbles that are light enough to enjoy for breakfast but also perfect as a summer dessert.

• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 4 individual-sized crumbles 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Crumble Topping

• ⅜ cup whole wheat flour
• ⅛ cup corn starch
• pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons cold butter, in small pieces
• 1 tablespoon honey (plus about ½ teaspoon more, if needed)
• Oatmeal, for garnish

Strawberry Rhubarb Filling

• 1 ½ cups rhubarb
• 1 cup strawberries
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• juice and zest of ¼ of a lemon
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed

Instructions

1. Start out by making the crumble topping. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, corn starch, and salt. Add the cold butter and honey and clump together with your hands to incorporate and form a block with the dough, adding about ½ teaspoon more honey if needed to make the dough come together. Freeze the block of dough while you prepare the Strawberry Rhubarb filling.
2. Preheat oven to 350 F and spray four 3-½" ramekins with cooking spray.
3. Chop rhubarb and strawberries into small pieces. Add corn starch, lemon juice and zest, honey, and brown sugar and mix together. Divide the filling evenly among the ramekins.
4. Remove the dough from the freezer and grate the dough evenly over the filling in each ramekin using a cheese grater. Sprinkle the tops of the crumbles with oatmeal to garnish.
5. Bake the crumbles in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and the fruit filling is bubbling high.
6. Enjoy warm (my preference) or once cooled :)

Notes

The idea behind chopping the fruit after making the dough is to allow the dough time to get cold and firm, which will make it easier to grate.

Recipe Adapted From: Cherry Tea Cakes, Originally From: Tartelette