Individual Rhubarb Crumbles

Signs of Spring

“At three o’clock in the afternoon Lee was sitting at his desk, turning over the pages of a seed catalog.The pictures of sweet peas were in color. Now these would look nice on the back fence. They’d screen off the slough. I wonder if there is enough sun.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

I am a hap-hazard gardener. Happy to try new plants and ideas every spring and falling into the trap of over-planting and failing to give the plants everything they need. It’s a hazard. Last spring we bought a rhubarb plant. I was optimistic, but wondered if the plant would survive the winter. We planted it next to garage near the lemon verbena and sage. To my amazement, it flourished, and last fall I was ready to harvest. Thankfully I investigated how to harvest rhubarb before I tore into the plant. Rhubarb needs a year to get established before the first harvest. It’s healthier for the plant if the stalks are gently tugged from the outside edges of the plant, rather than cutting them. The rhubarb was beginning to outgrow its spot (the leaves are huge) and when the outer stalks began to lay on the ground and pull away from the center of the plant I began dreaming about fresh rhubarb. It was a sure sign of spring on the central coast.

Essentials

Rhubarb is a vegetable that we prepare as a fruit. Only the stalks are edible, the huge leaves are poisonous. The stalks are reminiscent of celery. If the stalks are fibrous peeling away exterior is an option, but often the beautiful red color will be lost. Even the largest of my homegrown rhubarb was not at all tough or fibrous, although most is green and not at all red or pink.

Rhubarb contains a lot of water which is a huge consideration in baking. Sugar is almost always mixed with rhubarb since it is very tart. Sugar is hydroscopic, it draws the water from the rhubarb. This is why a baked product might have rhubarb chunks floating in rhubarb juice or be overly moist and juicy. Thickeners such as flour, cornstarch or tapioca can be mixed in with the rhubarb and sugar or some of the moisture can be removed before baking. One of the things I like about this crumble from Bon Appétit Desserts is that the natural characteristics of rhubarb are taken into consideration in the recipe. The rhubarb juice is thickened before the crumble is baked, which makes a terrific spring dessert. The recipe makes four to six, individual crumbles depending on the size of baking pans.

I am one of those bakers who typically pairs sweet strawberries with tangy rhubarb. (I was never a fan of my mom’s stewed rhubarb that she scooped over vanilla ice cream.) I was so excited about my harvest I baked a dessert with just rhubarb. The Almond Streusel Topping is just sweet enough to pair with the tangy filling without overpowering the rhubarb. While the orange juice and zest enhance the rhubarb filling as citrus often does. Next rhubarb baking project is strawberry rhubarb pie. After making this recipe, I’m adding a streusel topping and adding orange juice and zest to my pie filling too. Happy spring baking!

	Almond Streusel Topping
2/3C-65gr	sliced almonds
2/3C-70gr	white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour
1/2C-65gr	whole almonds
1/2C-85gr	sugar
1/2C-75gr	light brown sugar
7T/100gr	unsalted butter, chilled
	Rhubarb Orange Filling
8C/2 lbs	rhubarb, cut into ½ inch pieces
1/2C	fresh orange juice
1/2C-85gr	sugar
1T	finely grated orange peel
1T	all-purpose flour
1T	light brown sugar

1. Heat the oven to 350°. Spread the almonds across the surface of a sheet pan and toast them for 8-10 minutes. The almonds will become fragrant and just start to turn brown when they are ready. Set the almonds side to cool. Leave the oven on, adjust the temperature to 400°.
2. Butter the ramekins or other baking pans that will be used for the crumbles. Line a large sheet pan with parchment.
3. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, whole almonds and both sugars. Process until the almonds are finely ground and no visible pieces remain. Cut the chilled butter into 1” pieces and add to the food processor. Pulse until small clumps form. Stir in the toasted sliced almonds.
4. In a large saucepan combine the rhubarb, orange juice, the ½ cup of sugar and the orange peel. Bring to a simmer and cook until the rhubarb has released most of its liquid and just starts to become tender. Take care not to over-cook the rhubarb or it will fall apart. With a slotted spoon, carefully remove the rhubarb from the pan, leaving most of the juice in the pan. Whisk the flour and brown sugar together and then into the pan with the liquid. Stir to combine and cook until the liquid boils and thickens. Remove the pan from the heat. Return the rhubarb to the pan and carefully fold into the thickened sauce.
5. Divide the rhubarb evenly among the individual ramekins or other pans. Scoop the streusel topping on top of the rhubarb dividing it evenly among the individual ramekins. Bake for 18-22 minutes at 400 °until the streusel topping is golden brown and the rhubarb is bubbling. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.