I love dessert. As spring and summer approach I start seriously planning ahead and thinking about which fruits and berries I can put together to get amazing flavor and not spend hours in the kitchen with small children under foot risking a spill or trip, or broken pie plate. Often, I opt for fruit crisps. They are quick and easy to make and don’t involve making a crust, which helps to keep things moving in the kitchen.
The first time I had rhubarb was in Switzerland in 1992. Since then, I’ve been wanting to know more about it and eventually cook with it. So, here I am 20 years later, finally trying my hand at rhubarb. I experimented a little last summer, but that rhubarb was frozen and the experience just wasn’t the same. I wanted to have fun in my kitchen and this spring seemed like a good time to start.
Most of the recipes I researched treated rhubarb like any other fruit. Â Alone, it has a tart taste, but with some sugar, it sweetens considerably. As such, it can be used in either sweet or savory recipes.
Since I love dessert, I went with sweet, but maybe next year I’ll try savory. The rhubarb season is short, so if the season for fresh is over, frozen can be used just as easily.
With summer here and just about in full swing, if you’re looking for an easy dessert either to take somewhere, or to have yourself, this is really easy to make and totally delicious. It requires little prep time and kids can even help mix up the fruit and sugar. I had some for breakfast!
Rhubarb Blueberry Crisp
Ingredients:
For the filling:
4-5 cups rhubarb cleaned, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, and sliced (if fresh rhubarb is out of the stores, substitute with frozen)
1 pint blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon orange zest
For the topping:
3/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 stick cold butter, cut in cubes
What’s Next:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine fruit through orange zest and stir to combine. Let sit while making topping.
To make topping, combine remaining sugar, flour, and butter in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 10-12 times to combine.
Place fruit filling in an 8×8 baking dish.
Sprinkle topping on top and bake for 30-40 minutes until bubbling at the sides.
Serve with either vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or coffee. Enjoy!
This recipe series, One-Armed Cooking, highlights quick and easy recipes that can be made even if you are caring for children at the same time.
