Huge storms here lately, days on end of massive pounding raindrops.
"Liquid sunshine" is what my tv deliveryman called it (new owners of a flatscreen!).
The liquid sunshine has finally transformed into dry sunshine, of the superbright and shimmery quality. It's very welcome around here. Our CSA's crops are happier, too.
Also welcome is this strawberry rhubarb crumble. A recent CSA pick-up made us the proud owners of a bundle of stiff, pale green and magenta-tinged rhubarb stalks and I knew right away a crumble was in order (despite rainy days, it's still hard to want to make a pie crust in summer, at least until the peaches are ready!)
Using Food Blog Search, my favorite recipe finder, I came upon the awesome site Everybody Likes Sandwiches, written by a food blogger and web designer in Vancouver (I also follow her as @kickpleat on Twitter). I'd just read a piece about Vancouver in the August 2009 issue of Bon Appetit, where it was described as a truly locavore foodie destination, and "the best strawberry rhubarb crumble ever" felt like fate. Or synchronicity, at the very least.
I adapted Jeanette's recipe and she adapted it from Smitten Kitchen. You could say it's been around the block. But I wouldn't kick it out of bed for that (or any) reason.
Yum Yum Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble
Crumble
4 stalks rhubarb, small dice
3 cups strawberries, quartered
scant 1/4 cup organic evaporated cane juice
3 tablespoons cornstarch
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
juice of one lemon
Topping
1 cup white whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons brown sugar
zest of one lemon
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons toasted wheat germ
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat
oven to 375F. Add the rhubarb and strawberries to a casserole pan,
tossing with the sugar, cornstarch and nutmeg. Add lemon juice
and stir to combine. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine all the
topping ingredients, except walnuts. Using a wooden spoon, stir
everything until clumps form. Use your hands to scatter the topping
evenly over the fruit. Sprinkle top with walnuts. Bake for 40 minutes
until the topping is golden and the liquid from the fruit is bubbling.
Cool slightly and serve with vanilla ice cream. Yum yum.
By the way, I'm dying to get to Vancouver someday soon. Welcoming suggestions for inexpensive + incredible dining/stay...
