Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

 

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Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble 

(Slightly adapted from Kevin is Cooking)

For the filling:

2 cups rhubarb, chopped

2 cups strawberries rough chop

1/2 cup sugar

zest from 1 lemon

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 to 2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

For the crumb mixture: 

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup butter

2 tbsp finishing sugar

Place the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, lemon zest, balsamic vinegar and black pepper in a sauté pan. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a simmer and begins to breakdown and thicken, 5-6 minutes. The rhubarb will start to break down, try to keep it a little chunky for a more rustic filling. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 400˚F. Lightly coat a baking stone or 9 inch deep baking pan with cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl beat the flour, graham cracker crumbs, sugar, egg and baking powder until it becomes a crumbled mixture.

Sprinkle three quarters of this mixture on bottom of the pan. Spoon the strawberry rhubarb mixture on top and sprinkle remaining crumb mixture on top. Melt the butter, drizzle over the top and sprinkle with finishing sugar. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.

cooling off.

Today was hot. Like, "Oh my God, I'm gonna kill myself!" kind of hot. And not only that, it was also errand day. Talk about double torture...not only did I want to kill myself, I wanted to do it with little effort and as cold as possible... I'm thinkin' frostbite in Antarctica. Mmmm....snow.

Which leads me to the most awesomely fantastic find I found today in my grocery store: Shaved ice! I was in the produce section of the store when I noticed that they had some samples out for fruit. Being curious, I headed over to see what goodies to try and to my surprise, they had shaved ice! Not just one kind, but two!

What really stood out for these were the fact that they were majorly made from fresh, in-season fruit. They were also a take on Japanese and Hawaiian shaved ice except without the beans. For their version, they used crushed ice, rather than shaved, so it gave them a delightfully crunchy texture. The interesting part? They added tarragon to the tropical version! Wow!

So, of course I had to ask for the recipes. They were so flattered that I asked but since they didn't measure anything out, they just gave me what they put in. I eyeballed the contents so I'll have to tweak the recipe when I actually make it. Without further ado...

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Tropical Island Shaved Ice
(from my friendly produce grocer!)

1 pineapple, cored and chopped small
1/2 cantaloupe, chopped small
1 (12oz) bottle macapuno/coconut sport
1 (14oz or so) can coconut milk
2-3 sprigs tarragon, chopped fine
condensed milk for topping
crushed or shaved ice

Combine pineapple and cantaloupe in a large refrigerable container. In a separate bowl, mix together the macapuno/coconut sport, coconut milk, and tarragon. Add to the fruit and stir gently to combine. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before use. To serve, spoon a generous portion over ice and drizzle condensed milk as desired.

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Berry Breeze Shaved Ice
(from my friendly produce grocer!)

1 (1-lbs shell) strawberries, chopped small
1 (6oz shell) blueberries
juice from one orange (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup)
1 sprig basil, julienned (optional)
condensed milk for topping
crushed or shaved ice

Combine strawberries and blueberries in a refrigerable container. Add orange juice and basil (if using) to the fruit and stir gently to combine. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before use. To serve, spoon a generous portion over ice and drizzle condensed milk as desired.