Rhubarb Crumble for me conjures up awesomeness on a plate. Just like Marmite, chances are you will either love it or hate it.
Sweet yet sharp at the same time, rhubarb has the perfect juxtaposition sending tastebuds into confusion yet loving every minute of it!
So, with our very first season of homegrown rhubarb, a light harvest is all we may get to enjoy this year. We looked to savour the joys of Rhubarb Crumble with great anticipation, and weren’t disappointed.
Rhubarb leaves are poisonous, so don’t attempt to eat these or feed them to your chooks. You’ll know when the stems are ready to harvest as they will be around 10-14 inches long with a thick diameter. Don’t be fooled by the colour of the stem as while some varieties are ruby red, others are still green with a fleck of red and are just ready to harvest as their colourful counterparts.
Stewed rhubarb can last in the fridge for several days and wonderful as a compote for yoghurt/cereal too.
Rhubarb Crumble
Ingredients
Stewed rhubarb:
- 5 stems (approx 600 grams) of raw rhubarb
- 2 cups of white sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Crumble:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup oats
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 Tbsp white sugar
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 100g butter
Method
- Heat oven to 200ºC.
- Firstly prepare the stewed fruit (which is officially a vegetable of course). Trim off the green leaves, wash stems then cut into 3cm lengths. 5 stems were more than enough to create a large enough crumble to serve 6, easily.
- Add the cut stems with the sugar to a saucepan, cover and stew on med-high for approx 15 minutes. Stir occasionally within the first few minutes to ensure the sugar won’t burn, but natural moisture will quickly be extracted and will stew in its own juice for the remainder of cooking time. Once soft, yet still keep their shape, take off the heat and into a oven-proof casserole dish.
- To prepare the crumble, put all dry ingredients into a bowl and knead in the butter, so the mixture resembles soft breadcrumbs. Spoon crumble mixture over the stewed rhubarb, and cook in oven for approx 25 minutes (or until bubbling and brown on top).
- Serve ‘as is’ or with ice cream. Delish!
I’ve made this several times, experimenting with different rhubarb blends. Apple is delicious and so too is fresh cherry, so I discovered today. The blend in this instance was 400g rhubarb and 200g cherry raw. Stewed well until coated in a beautifully thick, vibrant red syrup, it was only then I attempted to remove the stone from the cherry (it’s nearly impossible to do raw without much hassle).
