Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

I don't care how bad your day is, if you are a cook and your husband says "this is the best thing you have ever made," you light right up!

Here is how it happened...I wanted to take advantage of the remaining strawberries of the season, but couldn't decide what to make. I vowed to not make the strawberry pie again (since I have already made it four times in two months), but to try a new recipe. 

I have never cooked with rhubarb. Being a Southerner, this is unheard of, but there are some ingredients I just haven't tackled yet. My curiosity got the best of me, so I bought some nice fresh looking stalks and decided to make a strawberry rhubarb desert and find out what all the hype is about.

My first step was to taste the rhubarb. You can't cook with something if you don't know what it tastes like. Well folks, fresh rhubarb is gross! It is crunchy, fibrous and sour. This blows my mind since so many people LOVE rhubarb desserts (probably why you add so much sugar).

On 101 Cookbooks, my favorite blog, I found a crumble recipe that peaked my interest. I enjoyed the freedom of the recipe based on the level of sweetness in the strawberries. I cut back on the sugar and found that the original recipe makes too much of the topping and not enough of the fruit mixture. So after playing around, I altered the recipe a bit.

Ryan couldn't wait for me to take a picture, hence the huge section missing!

My husband didn't taste it until Sunday night after golfing. We were settling down for the evening and mentally preparing ourselves for going back to work. All the sudden from the kitchen I hear "Oh my gosh babe, this is awesome!" I honestly wasn't expecting that from him considering he likes more chocolate and cakey desserts. I must have done something right because it was gone the next morning!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

Recipe adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Yields: 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

butter for greasing skillet/pan (about 1 tablespoon)
1/2 cup spelt flour
1/2 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup natural cane sugar
1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup natural cane sugar (or Muscovado sugar)
2 1/2 cups hulled medium strawberries, cut into quarters
2 cups trimmed rhubarb, sliced into 3/4-inch pieces (about 2 stalks)
1/4 cup port wine (optional, can also use fruity red wine)

Preheat the oven to 375F, with a rack in the middle. Butter an 8x8 square baking dish.

Combine the flour, pine nuts, oats, sugar, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Use a fork to stir in the melted butter. The mixture should form into a few patties, then wrap in plastic wrap and place in the freezer to chill at least ten minutes.

Make the filling by whisking together the cornstarch and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the strawberries and rhubarb, and toss until evenly coated. Wait three minutes, add the port and toss again. Transfer the filling to the prepared pan, remove the topping from the freezer, and crumble across the top of the strawberry and rhubarb mixture.

Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, or until the topping is deeply golden and the fruit juices are vigorously bubbling. Wait at least 30 minutes for the crumble to cool before serving.