Who can wait? Certainly not me. Forget that giving-up-sugar thing, please. Rhubarb is at it’s peak season right now. No raspberries yet but I slipped some in from the health food store for color and taste.. Frozen will do. Saw a sign for pick-your-own strawberries up the road. Maybe I should haul myself over there for some exercise and some just-picked June delights. The season is fleeting!
What about sugar once a week, a special treat, something fruity and seasonal so as not to feel too guilty?
If you add vanilla ice cream, just when the crisp is between warm and room temperature, you’ll be transported to another world. If you love rhubarb, don’t forget to freeze some for later use. Chop the stalks into 1/2-inch pieces, place in freezer bags and that’s it! Rhubarb will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months. The leaves are so high in oxalic acid that they are considered toxic. Remove and discard – some gardeners won’t even put them on their compost pile.
- 3 cups ½-inch slices of rhubarb
- 3 cups raspberries
- ½ cup raw sugar
- Zest and juice of 1 orange
- 4 tablespoons Grand Marnier
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 8 tablespoons butter, cut into 1" pieces
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- ½ cup flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Use a little of the butter from the topping to grease 6 small gratin dishes or an 8x8-inch baking dish.
- Combine all of the fruit filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Allow the fruit to macerate while making the topping
- Place all of the topping ingredients in another mixing bowl. Using a fork, smash the butter into the oats and flour until there are large "crumbles" measuring about ½-inch in size. I used my fingers at the end to press the dry bits on the bottom of the bowl into the moister mixture on top.
- Divide the fruit mixture evenly in the gratin dishes. Spread the topping evenly on top and place the baking dishes on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes for the gratins or 50-60 for the 8x8 baking dish, until golden brown. The fruit should be bubbling up around the edges of the crumble.
- Allow the crumble to cool before serving.
Can’t stop photographing the peonies, even when they are destined for the compost. What’s next in the garden? The euphorbia is doing something wild and fantastic out there, something which probably should be documented.
-Sheila
