Old Fashioned Strawberry-Rhubarb Crips

Free rhubarb is hard to pass up. Even when you're not sure what rhubarb is, or how to use it.

Enter Aric, and his greater knowledge of food than mine.

He knew immediately that you are supposed to pair rhubarb with strawberries, and that a crisp is the perfect way to do this.

OLD FASHIONED STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB CRISP
(taken from foodandwine.com)

Photo courtesy of Aric.

INGREDIENTS
Filling
2 pounds rhubarb stalks, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 pound strawberries, hulled and quartered
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Topping
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS
1) MAKE THE FILLING: Preheat the oven to 375°. In a bowl, toss the rhubarb with 3/4 cup of the sugar and let stand for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. In another bowl, toss the strawberries with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and let stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the rhubarb to the strawberries; discard any rhubarb juice. Add the cornstarch, lemon juice and vanilla to the fruit and stir well. Transfer the mixture to a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish.
2) MAKE THE TOPPING: Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, mix the ingredients together until large crumbs form.
3) Sprinkle the topping evenly over the filling and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325° and continue baking for about 30 minutes longer, until the fruit filling is bubbling and the topping is nicely browned. Let the crisp rest for 10 to 20 minutes before serving.

I found that the hardest part was chopping up the rhubarb. It's long and fiberous - I think it's closely related to celery.

The results are most definitely worth it, though. The topping is wonderfully crisp, while the filling is tart and sweet and gooey and amazing! What's crazy to me is that you use a cup and a quarter of sugar, and it still tastes a little bitter!

The only thing that would have made this better would be a dollop of whipped topping, to help cut some of the tang of the rhubarb (which is, quite possibly, one of my favorite plants).

Another thing - this makes a ton of crisp. The recipe says 6 servings. I don't believe that for one second. You could very easily make this and take it to a potluck dinner and happily feed everyone there.