Rhubarb is available year round in Australia although I like it best in the winter. It seems to me that it’s a little sweeter and a little more red although that may just be because I’m not being distracted by sweet berries and stone fruits. Rhubarb seems to suit winter foods well, as a topping for porridge, a filling for pastries or in a classic crumble desserts like this one. Of course it’s not just rhubarb in this crumble, there are also some frozen raspberries for a memory of warmer days, and also a hint of citrus from the orange juice and zest. Between the orange juice and the crumble topping, I don’t think the rhubarb needs added sugar but feel free to add a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar to the cooking rhubarb if you have a very sweet tooth.
This recipe is very loosely adapted from Karen Martini. The original can be found in Where the Heart is.
What’s your favourite way to eat rhubarb?
Rhubarb and Raspberry Crumble
Serves 4
1 bunch rhubarb (6-8stems), trimmed and cut into 3 cm pieces
Zest and Juice of 1 orange
250 g ( 9 oz) frozen raspberries
80 g (3 oz)soft butter, cut into small pieces
120 g (4 oz) plain flour
120 g ( 4 oz) brown sugar
60 g (2 oz) ground almonds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1. Preheat oven to 220C (430F)
2. In a saucepan, combine rhubarb, orange zest and juice. Cover and cook over low heat for ten minutes.
3. While rhubarb is cooking, prepare the crumble by combining butter and flour in a bowl. Use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, almond meal and baking powder and mix well.
4. To assemble, spoon the rhubarb and raspberries into a greased oven proof dish. Top with crumble mixture.
5. Turn the oven down to 200C (390F) and cook for 20-25 minutes.
Your desserts always look so wholesome – practically guilt-free! Very nice dessert.
Really? Gosh, I never think of dessert as wholesome, but I guess I do have a lot of fruit based desserts on here. Perhaps it’s time to put up the chocolate mousse cake!