Summer's Bounty

This week's Carnival of the Recipes host will be The Expatriate's Kitchen.  It's the farmer's market edition, and we are asked to submit recipes featuring local or seasonal produce or meats.

I decided to turn to my new cookbook, Classic Home Desserts by Richard Sax, for inspiration, and boy, did I find it.  Out of a large selection, I settled on Rhuarb-Strawberry Crisp with Cinnamon-Walnut Topping.  I picked this recipe because I love rhubarb, especially with strawberries, and it is a straightforward, simple recipe. From the book:

"For the first 200 years in America, rhubarb pies were almost as popular as apple or mince.  In fact, so strong was the connection that for years, people called rhubarb "pie plant."  Technically a vegetable, rhubarb makes as good a crisp as it does a pie.  Not only does the old rhubarb-and-strawberries combination play sour against sweet, but the two arrive in the garden at the same time in Spring.

Serves about 6

Fruit

     1 1/2   pounds rhubarb, stalks trimmed, cut into about 3/4" pieces(about 3 cups)
     1         pint strawberries, hulled and halved, if large
     1/4     cup sugar
     1/4     cup packed light brown sugar
               juice of 1/2 lemon
     1/4     cup cold water

Cinnamon-Walnut Topping

     3         tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
     1/4      cup all-purpose flour
     1/4      cup packed light brown sugar
     3         tablespoons sugar
     1         teaspoon ground cinnamon
     2/3      cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Ice cream or frozen yogurt, for serving (optional)

1.  Fruit:  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Butter an 8-inch pie pan or other shallow baking dish.  In a mixing bowl, combine rhubarb, strawberries, white and brown sugars, lemon juice and water.  Transfer the mixture to the buttered pan.

2.  Cinnamon-Walnut Topping:  In a small bowl, combine the butter, flour, brown and white sugars and cinnamon.  Cut together until the mixture forms large crumbs.  Crumble in the walnuts.  Scatter the topping over the fruit, pressing it in lightly.

3.  Bake until the topping is golden brown, about 35 minutes.  Cool briefly.  Serve, war. topped with ice cream or frozen yogurt, if you like.

Variation

Warm  Plum Crisp:  Plums work well in warm desserts.  I often slice a couple of plums into berry and nectarine desserts, just to deepen the flavor.  Substitute about 1 3/4 pounds plums for the rhubarb and strawberries, add 3 tablespoons of flour and a little cinnamon to the fruit, and eliminate the water.  Proceed as directed above.

Enjoy.

[Image via Just Hungry]

Comments

[Chef Tom]

YUMMM ! I think I will make this for my mom...but I'll prolly omit the nuts.

thanks ! :-)