You can make this mouth-watering crumble with many types of fruit, but the rhubarb–strawberry combo is a flawless classic.
It’s both tart and sweet, red and green, dense and delicate, with a crunchy layer of caramelized brown sugar-oat on top, and redolent of cinnamon and butter.
The recipe comes from my friend Titian’s mom, who creates different fruit combinations depending on what’s currently ripening in her Connecticut garden. (You can try peaches, nectarines and blueberries.
Rhubarb looks like celery. Long and pink-green, and with stringy stalks. It’s usually available from April till July.
If you live in California, like me, you might be able to find it at farmers’ markets until late September.
It’s very easy to handle:
Cut off the root end and peel the outer, tougher layer. A vegetable peeler will do the job.
If you’re gluten-intolerant, no problem—you will love the light and nutty taste of the oat-rice flour topping.
If you’re gluten-tolerant, great—you won’t notice a difference.
To make ¾ cup of oat flour, place one cup of old-fashioned rolled oats into a blender or food processor, and process until powdery—it only takes few seconds.
The last thing you have to do is whip up some heavy cream or unseal a vanilla ice cream container and serve.
More gluten-free recipes from my library:
Now you.
Love strawberries? What about rhubarb? How long have you been gluten-free?
Tell me in the comments.
Prep Time:
Yield:
Print
PinDescription
Tart and sweet summer dessert with a crunchy layer of caramelized brown sugar-oat on top.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- Pinch salt
- 1 pound rhubarb, peeled, cut into ¼-inch slices (about 4 cups)
- ¾ pound strawberries, hulled, cut in half (about 3 cups)
- Topping ingredients
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¾ cup oat flour
- ¼ cup rice flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 egg
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and position an oven rack in the middle.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar, cornstarch and salt. Add the rhubarb and strawberries, and gently toss to coat.
- In another medium bowl, sift together the sugar, oat and rice flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the oats.
- Break in the egg and mix until it’s combined and the mixture is crumbly.
- Place the fruit mixture in an ovenproof 10-inch skillet or pie pan, or an 8×8-inch baking pan.
- Sprinkle the topping evenly over the fruit. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar (optional). Drizzle the melted butter over the topping and place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet to prevent any fruit juice drippings in your oven.
- Bake until the top is golden brown and the fruit bubbling, about 50–60 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes.
- Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with the ice cream or whipped cream.
Notes
- Try other soft-flesh fruit such as peaches, apricots, nectarines, plums, or blueberries.
- Use 1 cup of unbleached all-purpose flour for the topping instead of the oat and rice flours, if you can tolerate gluten.
- Add 1/4 cup chopped almonds or pecans to the fruit mixture in step 2 for extra crunch.
Got something to say?