Sunday, April 4, 2010

in the oven

Currently in the oven:
Rhubarb and Strawberry Crisp with Vanilla and Hazelnuts

For the topping:
(adapted from the recipe in Chez Panisse Fruit)

3/4 C. all-purpose flour
1/2 C. white whole wheat flour
6 Tb. light brown sugar
2 Tb. granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. sea salt
2/3 C. ground hazelnuts
12 Tb. unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cold, cut into small pieces

For the fruit:

4 C. rhubarb, washed, ends trimmed, and stalks cut into 1 inch pieces
16 oz. fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced (about 3 1/2 cups)
3/4 C. granulated sugar
1/2 a vanilla bean

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Make the topping:
In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugars, cinnamon, salt, and ground hazelnuts. Add the cold butter pieces and rub together between your fingers until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is distributed throughout in small bits. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine the rhubarb, strawberries and sugar. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add to the fruit mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine and be sure to work the vanilla in evenly.

Place the fruit mixture in a baking dish (mine is roughly 12 x 8 x 2 1/2) and scatter the topping over the filling being sure to cover it entirely.

Bake in the center of the oven for 35-45 minutes, or until the topping is golden and the fruit juices are bubbling to the top.

Cool on a wire rack and serve slightly warm (with a bit of cream if you have it).
The scent is glorious.Happy Easter!

3 comments:

Serena said...

Your rhubarb looks so beautiful! its so bright and red, I didn't even realize it was rhubarb at first!

Its going to be a few months before anything starts growing here :(

Through My Kitchen Window said...

I would call this a "crumble" Chelsea. I make them all the time particularly with apple. I love your addition of hazelnuts. I must say I hadn't thought of putting rhubarb with strawberry but rhubarb with apple is a match made in heaven in Australia. Yours is soo much prettier though. That red is amazing. We have really lacked good quality strawberries this year. Perhaps due to all the floods we have experienced. Thanks.

Chelsea said...

Hi, ladies!

Serena - I probably should have posted a more recognizable photo ;)
Rhubarb can be a finicky model though. I hope it shows up soon in your neck of the woods; it's just starting here - a sign of spring!

Mariana - It always seems to be rhubarb and strawberry around here. I'd love to try it with apple - to me raw rhubarb has an apple-y taste to it, so I imagine it really does pair well with the other.
It's too bad about your berries - last year we had a crumby season for tomatoes; you just never know one year from the next, I guess...