Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble
Living in New York, I eagerly await good local fruit through our increasingly long, Spartan winters. Though I do love citrus season, I cherish the day when fruit appears at the farmers market. There's nothing better than biting into a ripe, juicy strawberry just plucked from the vine.
While I can - and do - eat endless bowls of strawberries during their all too brief season, I also love to showcase them in desserts, and often pair them with rhubarb, their natural partner. Both strawberries and rhubarb appear right before summer starts, and strawberry's sweetness perfectly complements rhubarb's tang. Here, I've updated this classic duo to align with today's sensibilities. This crumble is gluten free and vegan, and uses palm sugar - a gentle alternative to white sugar. And both strawberries and rhubarb are brimming with Vitamin C, while oats and dried coconut pack plenty of fiber. But perhaps the best part of this recipe is that it's oh so easy but will still satisfy the most discerning sweet tooth. It does, however, need a moment to set, so plan just a wee bit ahead.
A few notes on the ingredients: though coconut oil is a bit pricey, I think it's worth the investment. It's a great alternative to butter for baking, lends a little authenticity to Asian recipes or can be slathered all over your body as a moisturizer if you run out of culinary uses. Palm sugar - also know as coconut sugar - is available at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's or other health food stores. I prefer the blonde varieties, and make sure you buy a sustainable brand as palm harvesting can be very environmentally destructive. Oh - and make sure you remove the leaves from your rhubarb if present! They are poisonous, and I don't mean to kill you all over dessert, after all.
Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble
Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
1 pound strawberries, sliced
3 large stalks (about 3/4 pound) of rhubarb, leaves removed and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons + 1 cup coconut flour
2 tablespoons + 1/2 cup fine palm sugar
1 cup finely shredded, unsweetened coconut
1 1/4 cup oats
1 cup coconut oil, at room temperature
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 and lightly grease a 9" pie pan or oven proof skillet.
In a large bowl, toss the strawberries and rhubarb with the 3 tablespoons of coconut flour and the 2 tablespoons of coconut sugar. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepped pie pan.
Next, combine the remaining 1 cup of coconut flour and 1/2 cup palm sugar with the oats, shredded coconut and coconut oil (you can use the same bowl for this - no need to dirty a second one). Work the mixture until the coconut oil is evenly distributed and no large clumps remain.
Spread the oat coconut mixture on top of the fruit, then pop into the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the crumble is golden and the fruit is bubbling beneath.
When the crumble is done, remove from the oven and let cool completely before serving.
