Recipe 88: Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp

The challenge: 1) Finding the Rhubarb Emeril claims announces the arrival of Spring! I did it, good firm rhubarb was at Ric's when I picked up the pancetta. I'm so glad I checked again (they didn't have any the day before). 2) Not eating the whole darned thing throughout the day today. I think the first challenge might be easier.

How to make it...dice the rhubarb, quarter the strawberries, mix them with 3/4 cup of sugar, 2 T. cornstarch and 2 tsps freshly squeezed lemon juice. Mix it all together and pop it into a lightly buttered deep dish pie plate or casserole pan(1 1/2-3 quart baking dish). While those flavors mingle, let the fun begin.

Now add all purpose flour and rolled oats in equal amounts, some packed light brown sugar, cold , unsalted butter cut up, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt. The recipe calls for you to mix it in the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment. Since this is still on my wish list, I tried my electric mixer. The butter didn't budge. I finally said forget this, set the mixer aside and dove in with both hands to from a crumbly crust.

When I got it about where I wanted it, I spread it over the strawberry-rhubarb mixture and popped the whole thing in the oven for 40 minutes while I began the next recipe, after washing my hands of course.

There is one more challenge in this recipe: I don't like rhubarb, not even straight out of the garden. I wasn't sure I would like it here. But I'm committed to trying each of these recipes, and I've heard so many people ooh and ahh over the strawberry rhubarb combination, that I thought this one might have a chance. So, i pulled it out of the oven, just before I began the semi-tricky part of the next recipe(sigh of relief here), and set it on the table with the intention of re-heating it before I served it to warm it.

I entirely forgot to re-heat it, James took his fork or spoon and cut his own piece as he was suggesting I wouldn't have any left over dinner to take for lunch next week. Then I tried it, and realized that I'll be making this recipe often(and I think you can get away with it for under $10, maybe), but its not entirely diet friendly. I'll be cutting down the sugars next time, to see how that works.

I will definitely make this recipe again. It might be worth for someone to buy the book for this, and the cheesy herb popovers;-), and a few other recipes I love;-)