Balsamic Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

When I was a little girl my favorite way to eat rhubarb was to snap off a stick in the back yard, run into the kitchen and dip the end into the sugar bowl, repeating the dipping process as needed to coat each tart and chewy bite with granular sweetness. Post Seinfeld I would be labeled a dreaded double dipper. And I admit up front, it's true. I double dipped and triple dipped and lived to tell the tale.

Beyond childhood I never bothered much with rhubarb, except for tasting the occasional strawberry rhubarb crisp at someone else's family picnic. I was never much a fan of it cooked. Stewing and baking seemed to rob it of its charms, mocking my memory of those sugar coated crisp and sour stalks. The mush in the bottom of all those Pyrex baking pans was a sorry excuse for rhubarb, I thought. So recreating a rhubarb crisp recipe for living gluten-free was never glowing brightly on my cooking radar screen. It was never even the faintest of blips. I've been blogging for four rhubarb seasons now and haven't felt inspired to develop a recipe. Until now.

Why now, I've no idea. Perhaps it's because we're stuck out here in the desert, with nary a garden or bursting rhubarb patch in sight. Just rolling hills of sandy earth studded with pinon and juniper trees, accented by the odd cholla or tuft of tenacious sage. The words green and leafy don't come to mind when you walk the dirt road to the arroyo. So when I spotted a few lonely stalks in a basket at Whole Foods in Santa Fe- so ruby red and sexy in their glistening rhubarb goodness, I suddenly thought, Why not attempt a strawberry rhubarb crisp recipe?

And because I'd asked myself out loud, my husband answered, You do realize you just asked three stalks of rhubarb if you should make them into a crisp?

Well, yeah, I shrugged back. I talk to my fruit.

Don't you?

Balsamic Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp Recipe

Balsamic vinegar cuts the sugary sweetness of the usual sugar and strawberry rhubarb combo and adds a depth of savory tart flavor. Start with one tablespoon and taste test; add a little more if you desire. The balsamic gives this fruit crisp depth and richness.

3-4 stalks of rhubarb, trimmed, chopped
1 quart fresh organic strawberries, hulled, cut up
1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, to taste (start with one)
3/4 cup organic light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tiny pinch ground cloves
1 tablespoon arrowroot starch

For the topping:

1/2 cup organic brown sugar
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup arrowroot starch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2-3 tablespoons Spectrum Organic Shortening, as needed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8x10-inch baking dish or gratin dish.

In a bowl, combine the rhubarb, strawberries, 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves; stir to combine. Taste test and add 1 more tablespoon balsamic vinegar if you like it more tart. When the sauce hits the right notes of tart and sweet, stir in the arrowroot starch and set aside.

In a separate bowl combine the brown sugar, buckwheat, sorghum, arrowroot, xanthan gum, sea salt and cinnamon. Drop in dabs of the Spectrum Organic Shortening in pieces, and using your hands scoop and rub the mixture between your palms until it becomes a coarse sandy meal. Add more shortening if you need it.

Spoon the fruit mixture into the prepared baking dish. Add the crumb topping, leaving some space around the edges for the juice to simmer and pop.

Bake in the center of a preheated oven until the fruit is tender, and the crisp topping is golden brown; it should bubble around the edges. Mine took about 25 minutes. I try not to overcook my fruit crisps because I don't care for them if they're mushy.

Serve warm.

Serves 4.

Printer-friendly recipe.

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