Recipe Thursday…Springtime Dessert – Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Rhubarb’s peak season is from April to June. It is such an underused ingredient and often dubbed the “pie plant”.  Rhubarb’s stalks are soft and delectable when baked and make a divine pie filling. But pie is by no means the only way to experience rhubarb. It’s delicious in all kinds of desserts.  This recipe has a 5 star rating on the food network site, is courtesy of Anne Burrell and is easy to make.  Don’t forget to serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
Ingredients
Filling:
1 quart strawberries, stemmed and quartered
4 stalks rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch lengths
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 orange, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Topping:
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 sticks butter, cut into pea-sized pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt
1 to 2 tablespoons water
Total Time: Prep: 30 min ; Cook: 30 min

Yield: 6 servings

Level: Easy

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Filling:
Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and stir to be sure everything is well combined. Spoon the filling into 8 individual ramekins or 1 wide shallow baking dish.

Topping:
In a food processor combine the flour, oats and brown sugar and pulse to combine.
Add the butter, vanilla and salt and pulse pulse pulse until the mixture looks dry and crumbly.
Add 1 tablespoon of water and pulse until the mixture starts to come together and look crumbly.
If the mixture still seems dry add 1 more tablespoon of water and pulse to combine.
Crumble the topping over the filling.
Bake in the preheated oven until the filling is hot and bubbly all the way through and the topping looks crispy and light brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.  It’s berry delicious!