Things I Love About Canada: Rhubarb
Ok, I’m pretty sure Canada didn’t like invent rhubarb. In fact it isn’t even indigenous to North America, strangely enough, but Canada is where I have been lovingly introduced to this enticing vegetable, so I’m counting it as one of the things I love about Canada. Taido and I had this strawberry-rhubarb pie experience on Granville Island a few weeks ago that I have since been trying to repeat. But without actually going to Granville Island, not that I don’t want to go back. I do. I do. But it is a headache of a bus ride with all the crazies and so I’ve been settling for substitutes that haven’t been quite as good, but that do have all the children singing the praises of this red stalky vegetable. Then I found a pie on Smitten Kitchen that I am just dying to try, but of course, I don’t have all my pie baking things with me, so I will have to wait until another day when I am back in my own precious kitchen (sigh) to try this pie. But I have been so wanting to get my hands on the vegetable, so I could get to know it a little better. You know? Feel its textures. Wash it. Chop it. Play with it so we can be friends. So I bought some. And last night I made a strawberry rhubarb crisp in one of the three (yes THREE!) cast iron skillets that I brought with me, and let me tell you. It was dEEElish! The kids were scraping that skillet for the crumbs and begging for more. I might just have to make one more before we say goodbye to the oven, because it is official. One of the things we Chinos just LOVE about Canada is rhubarb.
Here’s the recipe I used for the crisp if you want to try.
Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp
Place in the bottom of an 8 inch cast iron skillet
1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries
1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
2 teaspoons whole wheat flour
Mix the topping ingredients below and sprinkle on top of fruit:
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup thick oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. SOOOO good.
The Mckenzie’s and the Chinos have something in common. Our family loves rhurbarb too. We especially love rhubarb cream pie. I will share the recipe with you when you get back to Arkansas and are closer to an oven.
We were introduced to this recipe last summer and LOVE it. Just thought I would share.
Rhubarb-berry crisp
Serves 8
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
2 cups fresh or frozen chopped rhubarb
2 cups chopped strawberries
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 cups crushed butter-pecan cookies
2 tbsp light-brown sugar
4 tbsp butter, melted
In a large bowl, stir sugar and flour; toss with rhubarb, strawberries and lemon juice.
Coat a 2-quart shallow baking dish with nonstick spray; spoon rhubarb mixture into it. Heat oven to 375F. Combine cookies, brown sugar, and butter. Sprinkle on top. Bake at 375F for 40 minutes or until bubbly. Serve over vanilla bean ice cream!
that does it! i shall finally try it in hopes that i become a rhubarb nut like y’all
I adore rubarb and miss it so much from living in AK. Think you can smuggle me back some?
[…] third rhubarb dessert today. Keep it coming, all the little Chinos say, so we’ll be having rhubarb crisp tonight. Here’s the pie we enjoyed earlier this week. We are having a bit of an ant […]