Making Rhubarb - Strawberry Crisp

When I was a little girl, I remember one summer when my mother seemed to have a fascination with rhubarb. She used it to make everything from pie to jam, to cakes and muffins. And I hated the taste and the smell of it and held that grudge against rhubarb for some fifty years. Ridiculous, right??

Recently I kept coming across recipes on Pinterest, in magazines, and other websites that used rhubarb. If everyone else seemed to like it, maybe it couldn't be so bad.
I found a recipe the other day in one of my carefully saved and loved, now gone, Cottage Living Magazine. It was for a Rhubarb - Strawberry Crisp. The picture looked so pretty with all that cooked, red rhubarb and strawberry showing, that I decided to give it a try.
The results were amazingly delicious, if I do say so myself!! This is great to serve warm or at room temperature, and even better with a big dollop of whipped cream.

The ingredients for this crisp are what most of us have in our pantries, except for the rhubarb and strawberries. I actually never paid attention to how rhubarb was sold at the grocery store, which is by the cut stalk. I googled how to cut and cook it and read that the leaves are poisonous, so do be careful.

This recipe is a little labor intensive, but I always enjoy cutting up veggies and fruit to cook with.

The topping is flour, brown sugar, granola, and butter (or margarine). I didn't have unsalted butter on hand, which is what the recipe calls for, so I used margarine, and it worked just fine. I used vanilla almond granola, which I really love, but you can use any flavor. Of course, you can also use other fruits that are in season, like blackberries or peaches.
This recipe makes about 8 nice sized servings, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on it while it is warm would be heavenly.

I'm not really one to make pies or crisps, for some reason, but this recipe is one I will be making again. I love that fruits crisps are equally delicious no matter what time of year it is.
We have so many blackberry bushes here in Washington State that just grow wild everywhere. I have picked blackberries before, and I think it's time to pick them again so that I can make a Blackberry Crisp.
Meanwhile, if you do make this Rhubarb - Strawberry version, I'm sure you will enjoy it.


Recipe for Rhubarb - Strawberry Crisp:

Ingredients:

1(16-ounce) pack of fresh strawberries, sliced, about 4 cups
5 stalks rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces, about 4 cups
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons orange zest
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Pour into a lightly greased 13- x 9- inch baking dish.
Combine flour and next 5 ingredients with hands until crumbly. Add egg, and combine. Place on top of fruit mixture. Bake for 40 minutes, or until bubbly.

Prep time is about 20 minutes, and this serves about 8.