This vivacious and kind of naughty strawberry rhubarb crumble landed me:
a) my old apartment in San Francisco (I made it while visiting a friend; her roommates agreed to let me move in on the condition that I make more),
b) at least a few dates, and
c) a bounty of diamond rings enraptured crumble addicts.
The second time I made it for my roommates in SF, one of them sent me the following email, entitled “WTF”:
Word on the street is that crumble is the new crack and the dealer is living under the same roof as me.
I know that you, too, are longing to be a crumble dealer of the most elicit and sought-after variety, and I am prepared to give you the tools to make that dream a reality. Ready? Thought so.
Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble
Ingredients
Filling
- 2 Quarts fresh strawberries washed and quartered
- 4 Large Stalks fresh rhubarb sliced in 1/2” pieces
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 3 Tbsp. corn starch
- 2 tsp almond(or Vanilla) exract
- 3 Tbsp salted butter, diced (or coconut oil, for a vegan version)
Topping
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup oats
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt + few extra pinches
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons safflower oil
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°. Mix filling ingredients in a bowl, making sure that the corn starch is evenly distributed and dissolved. Empty into a 9” round pie dish.
- Mix dry ingredients of crumble in a large bowl with a whisk. Add in oil and mix until topping forms a sandy-textured crumble that holds together relatively well. Sprinkle evenly over top of fruit filling.
- Place a piece of tin foil or a cookie sheet on the rack below the crumble to catch strawberry juice spillage. Check on it around 45 minutes, but total bake time should be about 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until the filling is oozing and bubbly and the crumble is nicely browned on top. Let cool at least 20 minutes. Enjoy with whipped cream (make your own, with a drizzle of vanilla and maple syrup—you’ll never go back!).