The few times I noticed rhubarb in the produce area at the market I couldn't imagine it was edible. Well yes, it does look like red celery and I don't have anything against celery but then I'm not the most daring of vegetable eaters. Over the years I have spread my wings and have tried new vegetables with glowing appreciation. Some not so well. Like kale, that I have tried in salad and have enjoyed but cooked I'm not going there. Rainbow chard is a new favorite and I adore snap peas quickly stir fried in coconut oil and just at the end tossing sesame seeds in to finish. Coconut oil is wonderful to use for stir frying! I thank my daughters for their patient ways of teaching me about some new foods.
Back to rhubarb. On the occasion we have been out to eat and have ordered a dessert to share, we have tried a rhubarb crisp and I did enjoy it. Especially with some vanilla bean ice cream on top! Something different about it's flavor of just the right amount of sweetness and a tad of tart and the crumbled topping of oats, butter and flour.
I was out shopping last weekend and I saw some fresh organic rhubarb. I bravely picked a bunch up and thought to myself "I'm going to make a crisp. I can do this!" I bought some lovely strawberries and then of course thought "now I need a good recipe". Of late when I look for recipes I do a Google search by image. My thought is, if it looks good it just might be a great recipe. So far that has worked for me every time. I found a couple that looked good, then I read the recipes and picked one that sounded the best.
As so often happens, I didn't consider how much rhubarb to buy and I didn't have enough, at least by what the recipe said. I had already started working and I was not willing to go back to the store and buy more. It looked like enough for the amount I wanted to make so I just changed up the recipe and created my own. It was wonderful! I would make it again and not change a thing. Here is my recipe and I hope you give it a try with the same success!
Strawberry Rhubarb Cardamom Crisp
Filling
2 1/2 cups fresh rhubarb, 1/4 inch slices
2 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, small pieces
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/2 to slightly heaping teaspoon ground cardamom
pinch of ground nutmeg
topping
3/4 cup old fashion oatmeal
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar
pinch of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
For filling:
Spray ramekins / custard cups with Pam (or like). Combine all ingredients, stirring to blend. Let sit for 15 minutes to let juice form.
Divide rhubarb mixture among prepared dishes. This recipe seemed generous and could do 8 dishes. I only made 6 and had leftover filling.
Heat oven to 375 degrees
For topping:
Mix first 5 ingredients. Add butter using your fingers or cutting in with pastry cutter, until small moist clumps form.
Sprinkle topping evenly over the rhubarb mixture in the cups. Set cups onto baking sheet ( to catch the juices, it will bubble over) and bake for 30 minutes or until filling is bubbling and golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla bean ice cream
