Tuesday, April 12, 2011

TWD: Strawberry-Rhubarb Double Crisp--my pick!

I have been baking with the Tuesdays with Dorie group since shortly after I began blogging in 2009--my first post was on the delicious classic banana bundt cake, and I was immediately hooked!  I have absolutely loved baking along with such an amazing group of people from all over the world and through this group I have greatly improved my own baking confidence and skills.  Thanks so much to Dorie & all my fellow TWD bakers!  I can't believe it's finally time for me to choose the recipe!

When I looked through the recipes to make my choice I immediately was drawn to this strawberry-rhubarb double crisp.  I knew nothing at all about rhubarb until March of 2009 when it was the birthday of one of the doctors at my former office.  I always made birthday desserts for my coworkers but when I found out that his favorite dessert was rhubarb pie I was clueless.  I didn't know how to pick it out at the store, had no idea how it would taste...but I forged ahead anyway!  I made the pies, he loved them, and I have made him rhubarb pies for his birthday since! (the office even ordered some this year from me even though I'm not working there anymore. )  I grew to love them so much that I make them fairly regularly for my family, especially around Easter.

So, I was excited to pick a recipe using this under-appreciated ingredient that is in season this time of year.  Or so I thought...  Apparently rhubarb season differs across the country and has a very small window of time.  Though I bought fresh rhubarb to make the doctor's pies just a few weeks ago on March 24th, now fresh rhubarb is nowhere to be found in my town!  Then I saw on the TWD P&Q page that it is not yet even available in most areas.  Thankfully I found some frozen rhubarb at Kroger so I could make this (how awful would it be to finally choose your recipe and be unable to make it?!?) but I'm sorry to any of you who haven't been able to find the required ingredients!


(I wish I had gotten some lovely natural light pictures but it has been gloomy & rainy all day & of course I procrastinate and don't make it until the last minute ;) )
 frozen thawed rhubarb--it works pretty well & is less messy than fresh!



 making the smushed strawberry filling



Yum!

I made my crisp(s) as written and baked them in a 11x7 pan & a tiny oval casserole.  I served them to my Bible study girls who very bravely tried this new ingredient, but honestly none of us ate much because we were so stuffed from dinner!  Most of them did like it and I was proud of them for trying :).  I had planned to bake the crisps for my mom over the weekend and will send the rest to her tomorrow because she loves rhubarb (when I told her my choice she said "who is going to eat it?" and I knew that was a hint).

And now, I can't believe it but I finally get to include the recipe!!

Strawberry-Rhubarb Double Crisp
p. 420-421

For the Crisp mix:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of salt
tiny pinch of ground cinnamon
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup very finely chopped crystallized ginger (*soften in a strainer over simmering water if too hard)
1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the Filling:
1 pound (4-5 medium stalks) rhubarb, trimmed and peeled
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water
3 cups (about 12 ounces) strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Getting Ready:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Put a nonreactive 9-inch square baking pan (Dorie likes Pyrex or porcelain)  on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

To make the crisp mix:
Put the flour, brown sugar, oats, ground ginger, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl and sift the ingredients through your fingers to blend them--be on the loookout for lumps in the brown sugar.  Mix in the nuts and crystallized ginger, then pour over the melted butter.  Using a fork, stir the ingredients until they are thoroughly moistened.
   Spoon half the mixture into the pan and pat it down lightly to form a thick crust; set aside the remainder for the topping.


To Make the Filling:
Slice the rhubarb into 1/2 inch wide pieces and scatter them over the pressed-in base.  Dissolve the cornstarch in the cold water; set aside.
Put the strawberries, sugar and ginger in a medium saucepan and, with a fork, pastry blender, or potato masher, crush the berries (I had trouble with this and gave it a few whirrs with my immersion blender).  Place the pan over medium heat and, stirring occasionally, bring th emixture to a full boil.  Pour the dissolved cornstach into the pan and, striffing with a whisk, bring everything back to a boil.  Keep cooking and stirring until the strawberry filling is thick and no longer cloudy, about 3 minutes.  Pull the pan from the heat, stir in the vanilla and pour the filling over the rhubarb.  Scatter the remaining crisp mix over the filling, breaking it up with your fingers so you can scatter it evenly.

Slide the crisp into the oven and bake for 60 minutes, or until the topping is golden and the strawberry jam is bubbling up all around the edges (in my smaller pan this was 45 minutes).  Transfer the pan to a rack and cool until only just warm or at room temperature.

Thanks to everyone who baked along with me this week!  I hope that you didn't have too much trouble finding the rhubarb if you used it!

34 comments:

  1. LOVE LOVE LOVE this one. Love. I was on a rhubarb mission, and I found mine so I was able to bake along. Thanks for choosing this one!

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  2. This was so good. I had to substitute a bag of frozen mixed berries. I just sprinkled the frozen fruit on the crust. The strawberry filling was yummy. We love this! Thanks for a great pick. Our garden rhubarb will be ready next month so I'll make it again as written.

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  3. Great pick. I had made it a few times over the past three years and we always love it.

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  4. Yay for you! Your crisp looks delicious :)

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  5. Great pick- I love this recipe!

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  6. Wonderful pick, Sarah - I loved this one! :)

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  7. Thanks for the great pick! My family loved it!!

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  8. This was a great pick. I had not baked with rhubarb and I liked it a lot. The ginger was a great addition to the recipe, and to think I had considered leaving it out.

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  9. Yay! How exciting that it's your pick! My MIL has been after me to use the rhubarb in her garden, but I didn't know what to do with it. I have an idea now...and strawberries were $1.77 a pt at Kroger this week!

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  10. Thanks for picking this yummy crisp - it's good no matter what you put in the middle! Your photos are lovely - frozen rhubarb looks even prettier than the fresh kind! I'll have to check my freezer section next time I'm at the market.

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  11. This was a great pick! I like the idea of putting crust on the bottom. And I had no idea how well ginger goes with strawberries. I think my favorite part is the bits of crystallized ginger in the crust. I can't wait to try this with other kinds of fruit.

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  12. Thank you for your selection! I love any kind of crisp! Both of them look amazing! Im glad you enjoyed!:)

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  13. Ciao Sarah ! Thank you so much for this wonderful crisp ! Unfortunately I couldn't find any rhubarb around but you tickled me !

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  14. Great choice!! This was a great way to usher in spring.

    Your crisps look delicious!

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  15. This recipe sounds delicious! I've never had ginger mixed in with strawberry and rhubarb, but it sounds like a perfect combination.

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  16. I like rhubarb a lot, but since I couldn't find it, I subbed cranberries. This was a great crisp! Thanks for picking this tasty recipe!

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  17. This was a great selection. I didn't find rhubarb at my store so it was just strawberries.

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  18. Thanks for a great pick: I'll take rhubarb over chocolate any day! I had a lot of trouble finding rhubarb in any form, but I look forward to making this again when it comes in season where I am. Glad you got to enjoy it too!

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  19. Isn't it fun when your turn to host TWD rolls around? I loved your pick. Rhubarb has been available around here for the past few weeks, luckily, because I'm really glad I got a chance to bake this crisp. With any luck I'll get my post written before midnight!!

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  20. Thanks for the fun recipe, we loved it! I've never cooked with rhubarb but can't wait to try it now!

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  21. Thanks for choosing this fun recipe. I had no luck with rhubarb but chocolate was a good addition! :)

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  22. Excellent choice, Sarah! Your crisp looks fantastic. I live in California and I was able to find rhubarb (I think it is usually more abundant by this time of year). Glad your choice was a hit.

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  23. Strawberries and rhubarb are one of my most favorite combinations. I'll make this and swear I'll have one small portion and an hour later I'll be sitting in front of the tv with the pan and a big spoon.

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  24. Top Five for us definitely...this was so good. It was fun seeing everyone's posts and their variations of it, can't wait to try some of those as well. Thanks for a wonderful pick, I am certain we will be using this one often! Yours looks delicious...both of them!

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  25. This looks terrific. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

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  26. Thanks for hosting Sarah, I loved this recipe so much! I just discovered rhubarb last year and love pairing it with strawberries in desserts so this was perfect!

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  27. Great pick, Sarah. I haven't heard anyone who didn't like it. Will have to try it again when rhubarb is available. I used apples, which were equally good. Thanks.

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  28. this is one of the best crisps i've ever had, so thank you for the pick! i bet your mom devoured it. :)

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  29. Delicious dessert! I'm enjoying it with cranberries rather than rhubarb.

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  30. Hey, nice site you have here! Keep up the excellent work!


    Cake Stands

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  31. Fantastic blog.
    The best blog i have ever read on cake stands.
    Thanks for sharing.

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  32. Well its May in New Mexico and I just picked rhubarb from the community garden - going to the store for strawberries and will let you know how this turns out!

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  33. I just stumbled upon this and I cannot wait to try!! Looks fabulous :)

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