Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

If you are a gardener or a seasonal eater, you know that it is time for some spring dishes. On my patio is a rhubarb plant that has followed me through at least one move and it is the only plant that will overwinter on my east facing patio. I love that it eagerly comes up each spring, even if I forget to water it for half of the winter. The variety I have has wonderful red stalks and it isn't quite as tart as the green stemmed variety. It looked so beautiful the other day that I finally gave into my urge to harvest some. It looked a little naked after I had finished, but it is a hardy plant and as you can see from the picture below, it is just fine.

One tip for rhubarb that I just have to share is that if you ever harvest more than you can use right away (or those stalks at the farmers market where huge), just cut it up as you would for a recipe and toss it into a freezer bag and pop it in the freezer. That's it, frozen rhubarb. It is also handy to put it into bags in pre-measured portions. Frozen fruit works good in any recipe, but watch your cooking times as there is a slight difference between using thawed or frozen fruit.

For years I have been making the Choose-A-Fruit Crisp recipe that is in my Better Homes and Garden's baking book and I would get rave reviews for this simple and classic dessert. When I went gluten free two years ago this month ("Happy Anniversary to me...") I wanted to find a topping for this recipe. In the mean time, I've played with the filling by reducing the sugar amount and adding the spices from the original crisp part to the fruit mixture. I think I finally got a topping that I like to go with my filling. It is very similar to my granola recipe and it is great to eat warm with a little dab of dairy free yogurt or even a scoop of coconut milk ice cream. Enjoy.

It is also part of Real Food Weekly for April 7, 2011.

This is my rhubarb plant after loosing half of its leaves. It looks much better than it did two days ago.


Ingredients:
(all measurements are by volume and before being milled)

Filling:

2 large or 5 small stalks of rhubarb
1 pint of really ripe strawberries
1/2 cup/120ml brown sugar
2 tblsp/30ml potato starch
1/4 tsp/1.25ml salt (or a small pinch)
1/8 tsp/1ml nutmeg
1/8 tsp/1ml powdered ginger or 1/4 tsp/1.25ml fresh grated ginger

Topping:

1/2 cup/120ml gluten free oats (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1/4 cup/60ml sunflower seeds-milled in the coffee grinder
2 tblsp/30ml flax seed-milled in the coffee grinder
2 tblsp/30ml toasted white sesame seeds-milled in the coffee grinder
1 tblsp/15ml brown sugar
2 tblsp/30ml oil
1/2 tsp/2.5ml salt


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Chop rhubarb and strawberries into bite sized pieces, stir in sugar, cover and set them aside in the refrigerator for at least two hours up to overnight. Add the remaining ingredients and place the filling into a baking dish. (This can be done with frozen fruit, toss with other ingredients and bake, but you will have to watch your cooking time.)

In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients for the topping. Mix until the oats and seeds are evenly moist. Spoon this mixture over top of the filling and place in a preheated oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the topping is brown and the fruit is tender. Serve warm, if desired. Makes 4 dessert servings.