Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

Sure you could make pie, you could even make a pie with a crumble top, but why go to the bother when what you really want is the taste of these two classic early summer fruits, cooked with some sugar and topped with some whipped cream.   The crumble gives you the buttery, slightly salty crunch you need to off set the juicy cooked fruit. 

It's so easy and so good.  Here is my classic crumble recipe:

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Clean, stem and cut up 4-5 cups of fruit (half strawberries half rhubarb) add 4 Tablespoons of flour  (for thickened, in this instance because both strawberries and rhubarb are so lacking in pectin and juicy they need a little more than usual) and 1 cup of sugar.  Toss the fruit with the flour and sugar and place in a baking dish (9 x 12 ish).

In a large bowl add 12 Tablespoons of unsalted butter, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 cup ground pecans (or any other nuts you have on hand) 1 cup flour, 4 Tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons white sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.  Mix with your hands until everything is buttery and well incorporated then spread over prepared fruit. 

Please adopt it as you see fit, in this version above I added about a 1/2 cup of rolled oats.

Bake for about 45 minutes in a 350F oven.  You want to make sure the top is nicely browned and the fruit bubbling around the edges.

Completed covered and ready for the oven:

 

Great served with unsweetened whipped cream or ice cream!