What's For Dessert: Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble

Nothing says "summer" better than a strawberry-rhubarb crumble warm from the oven.

The combination of strawberry and rhubarb is a quintessential flavor of summer. And when that strawberry and rhubarb gets covered in a delicious sugary and buttery crumble? All the better in my book.

A couple of weeks ago, Dustin and I went strawberry picking at JP's Berries and Pumpkin Patch, a local farm located nearby in Tomahawk, Wisconsin. In less than 30 minutes, we picked around 9 pounds of berries.

Upon arrival home, I prepped the majority of the berries for the freezer. (I highly recommend using the straw trick to quickly hull the berries ... just poke a drinking straw through the bottom of the berry, and out pops the hull and leaves!)

Two quarts were set aside to eat fresh, and the remaining strawberries were destined for dessert. We also picked up a couple of pounds of freshly-harvested rhubarb at the farm, so the decision to make a strawberry-rhubarb crumble was basically a no-brainer.

I love a good crumble-to-fruit ratio, and this recipe delivers. The strawberry-rhubarb crumble can be served warm from the oven, at room temperature, or even chilled from the fridge. Just add a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream or freshly whipped cream and dessert is ready to be served.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble (printer-friendly version)

makes 8+ servings

For the topping:

1 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/3 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder

3 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

1. Stir together the flour, oats, baking powder, sugars, cinnamon, and lemon zest.

2. Melt the butter over low heat. Add the melted butter to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Continue stirring until small to medium-sized crumbles form.

3. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the filling:

2 cups chopped rhubarb (1/2" slices) 

4 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup granulated sugar

juice of one lemon
zest of one lemon

pinch of fine sea salt

1. Combine the sliced rhubarb and strawberries in a large bowl. Stir in the cornstarch, sugar, lemon juice, and salt.

2. Let the fruit mixture sit for at least 15 minutes before putting together the whole dish.

To make the crumble:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Pour the fruit mixture into the bottom of an 9" x 13" baking dish. Make sure to spoon in any juices remaining in the bowl.

3. Top with the crumble mixture; be sure to cover the fruit mixture evenly with the crumbles.

4. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling.

5. Allow to cool before serving. Serve with a small (or large!) scoop of high-quality vanilla ice cream.

(adapted from this Smitten Kitchen recipe)

This post was originally posted on June 10, 2010. The post has been updated with new content and photos.

What's For Dessert: Blackberry Cobbler

We invited a friend over for dinner last week, and while my usual dessert selection is typically in the chocolate family, this time around I thought something a little more wholesome might be in order.

I decided something fruit-filled would be perfect for dessert. A pie was out as it was a weeknight and I didn't want to take the time to make a crust, so cobbler it was. Though blackberries are more commonly associated with late summer, I had a hankering for them that just couldn't be quelled -- incited perhaps by a recent sale on organic blackberries at the market. By the time I got around to picking up ingredients for my cobbler, however, the sale was off, so I ended up using a mix of fresh and the more-economical frozen berries.

This blackberry cobbler, served alongside a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, was delicious and the perfect ending to a great meal shared with a friend.

Blackberry Cobbler (printer-friendly version)
makes 6-8 servings

For the fruit filling:
4 cups blackberries, rinsed and dried
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch

For the cobbler topping:
3 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/4 cup 1 percent milk, plus additional for brushing
1 egg, lightly beaten
turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

1. Add the blackberries, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cornstarch to an 8x8 square baking dish. Stir to evenly coat the blackberries. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking powder, and sea salt. Add the cubed butter and use a pastry blender or two forks to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles  coarse crumbles.
4. Stir in the milk and egg until the dough just comes together.
5. Scoop the dough into large spoonfuls and place on top of the blackberries. (You should get between 6 and 8 scoops of dough.) Lightly brush each scoop of dough with milk, then sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the blackberries are bubbling and the cobbler is golden brown.
8. Serve warm or room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

(adapted from this recipe from Simply Recipes)

What's For Dessert: Fresh Peach Tart

Let's take a quick break from all my garden and tomato talk with this delightful peach tart, shall we? D picked up a bagful of tennis-ball-sized peaches from our parking-lot produce guy the other day. I tossed around the idea of doing a cobbler or crumble, but in the end, figured it was about time I attempted to make a tart.

Of course, given my pastry-dough phobia, I opted for a recipe that used a pat-in crust rather than one that required rolling out. One of these days I will be less intimidated by pastry dough, but this past Sunday was not that day.

The original recipe instructions warn bakers to not overmix the dough; I think I might have mixed it a bit too much as it was a bit crumbly on the edges going in, and remained quite crumbly after baking. The crumbliness had no affect on the taste however -- the crust is light in texture and the almond flavor shines through. 

The addition of a crumble on top -- which melts into the peaches as the tart bakes -- adds a bit of sweetness and the addition of flour helps to soak up any extra juiciness so the tart shell doesn't get soggy. I couldn't help but add in a little spice and added a dash of my favorite three -- cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. 

The resulting tart tastes like a slice of summer. And of course, it wouldn't be summer without a little scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

Peach Tart (printer-friendly version)

makes one 11-inch tart

For the pastry:

1 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons organic skim milk

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

3 to 5 small ripe peaches, pitted and sliced (about 1/4 to 1/2-inch wide)

For the crumble topping:

2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

pinch ground ginger

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar. 

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oils, milk, and almond extract. Pour the oil mixture into the flour mixture and use a fork to mix together. The dough should be just dampened; don't overmix.

4. Spoon the dough into the tart pan and use the pads of your fingers to pat the dough into the pan, covering the bottom and sides in a thin layer. 

5. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, sugars, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Add the butter cubes and use a fork or pastry blender to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles pebble-sized (and smaller) crumbles. 

6. Starting on the outer edge, arrange the peaches in an overlapping circle over the pastry. I filled the center with peaches going the opposite direction; use whatever pattern is pleasing to you. Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over top the peaches. 

7. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and the fruit is bubbly. Remove the tart from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Remove the tart from the pan (carefully!) and serve warm or at room temperature. A scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side is always a good idea. 

(adapted from this Food52 recipe)

What's For Dessert: Roasted Balsamic Strawberry and Greek Yogurt Popsicles

As I promised on Monday, today I have a popsicle recipe to share with you that features roasted balsamic strawberries. To complement the sweet and savory flavor of the strawberries, I used tart Greek yogurt, sweetened just slightly with raw honey. I don't have much to say about these popsicles other than that they are delicious! I will definitely be making another batch soon. And I love that these are a healthy treat and packed with protein to boot. As the summer heats up, I'm sure I'll have many more popsicle recipes to share -- I've got a bunch of ideas brewing in my head already. 

Roasted Balsamic Strawberry and Greek Yogurt Popsicles (printer-friendly version)
makes six popsicles

For the strawberries:
1 pound organic strawberries, rinsed, hulled, and cut in half
2 tablespoons raw sugar
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

For the yogurt:
1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used 2% low-fat plain Chobani)
2 tablespoons honey

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the halved strawberries in a bowl. Add the sugar and stir to combine, evenly coating the strawberries in the sugar. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir.
3. Pour the strawberry mixture (and all juices, use a spatula if necessary to scrape out any remaining liquid) into a baking dish. (I used an 11"x7" aluminum pan; use whatever you have on hand, so long as the berries are in a single layer.)
4. Roast the strawberries in the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the juices are bubbling and the strawberries have softened.
5. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
6. After the strawberries have cooled, add them (and all the liquid) to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times until the strawberries are slightly pureed. Now you're ready to make the popsicles!
7. In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt and honey until thoroughly combined.
8. Add a dollop of strawberries to the bottom of each popsicle mold, then add the yogurt mixture, continuing to layer until each popsicle mold is full. Use a skewer or thin knife to swirl the strawberries and yogurt together, using an up-and-down motion.
9. Place the tops on the molds and freeze for at least 4 hours.

What's Baking: Apple Crisp

Our goal this weekend was to hit up an apple orchard to score ourselves a big pile of apples for saucing and for use in other autumnal recipes. As we headed down to the nearest orchard (about an hour's drive south), I paged through the Joy the Baker Cookbook, which I recently picked up from the library. A recipe for Joy's "Man Bait" Apple Crisp caught my eye, and I immediately knew that I would be setting aside a few of our soon-to-be-purchased apples to make this recipe. I made a few adjustments, including halving her original recipe, but the great thing about crisps is that they're pretty hard to mess up.

Apple Crisp (printer-friendly version)
makes 6-8 servings

For the apples:
6 apples, peeled, cored, and cut into slices [I used McIntosh]
3 tablespoons raw cane sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cardamom

For the topping:
1 1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Add the apple slices to the baking dish.
3. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. Sprinkle over top the apple slices. Use your hands to combine the sugar mixture with the apples.
4. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, chopped pecans, and oats. Add in the unsalted butter, and use your hands to combine the ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
5. Add 3/4 cup of the topping to the apple slices. Use your hands to combine the ingredients.
6. Cover the apples with the remaining topping, spreading it evenly.
7. Bake in the oven for 55-60 minutes, or until the topping is browned and the apples are bubbly.
8. Let cool for a few minutes. Serve warm with a (generous) scoop of vanilla ice cream.

(adapted from the Joy the Baker Cookbook)

What I'm Drinking: Sangria

Given the large amount of fruit in my fridge after Friday afternoon's produce fest, it should come as no surprise that, just as I predicted, sangria made an appearance over the weekend. And let me just say that this is some mighty fine sangria. When it comes to the wine, I have no qualms with reaching for the  less inexpensive stuff. (Wines from Barefoot, Little Penguin, and Yellow Tail would all make good options, I think.) Last time I made a white sangria, so for this batch I opted to go the traditional route and went with a red. Barefoot Sweet Red Wine ($5.99/bottle in Philly) was an excellent choice for this citrus-y wine punch.

Sangria (printer-friendly version)
makes one large pitcher

750 mL red wine
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup halved red grapes
1/2 cup quartered strawberries
1 nectarine, cut into bite-size pieces
1 granny smith apple, cut into bite-size pieces
1 orange, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces.

1. Pour the wine into a large pitcher.
2. Add in the orange juice and brandy; stir to combine.
3. Carefully drop in the chopped fruit.
4. Chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours or overnight.
5. Serve over ice. (If you're feeling super-special, add in a cup of sparkling fruit juice or Italian soda before pouring.)

What I'm Snacking On: Cherries

One of the best things about the summer season is all the fresh produce that you can find. Although our goal would be to buy produce as locally as possible, here in Laramie that typically means heading to the "local" grocery store. Luckily in July through September, we are able to hit up our town's farmers' market every Friday afternoon, but aside from fresh eggs and some meat products, most other products, including the majority of fresh produce, come from northern Colorado. However, if that's as local as we can get, we'll take it!

These cherries were picked up during a recent trip to Whole Foods; I have already used some in a few salads and I may just have some thoughts on doing some sort of chocolate-covered cherry treat, and quite possibly there might be a cherry pie or cherry kuchen coming out of my kitchen in the near future. And of course, cherries make an excellent snack -- helping to fuel future cherry-inspired recipes!

What's For Dessert: Pineapple-Blueberry Yogurt Popsicles

Given all the fresh berries and fruit juices I've had in the house of late, and the fact that it is finally summertime in Wyoming, I have been dying to make my own popsicles. Unfortunately, up until recently I was unsuccessful in my search for popsicle molds. However, during a recent trip to Denver (and the Cherry Creek Shopping Center) I decided to pop in to Sur la table, and to my delight I found several popsicle molds for sale. (Huzzah!) I opted for the BPA-free star pop molds. Making the mix was easy to do; just whirl together some yogurt, fruit juice, and fresh berries in a blender. The worst part is waiting for them to freeze -- however, the result is definitely worth the wait! I think this just might be the first of many posts about popsicles -- the options are endless!

Pineapple-Blueberry Yogurt Popsicles

makes 6 large popsicles

1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

2 cups pineapple juice

2 cups blueberries (about 2 large handfuls)

1. Add the yogurt and pineapple juice to a blender. Cover and blend together.

2. Add in the blueberries and blend to combine. I blended for just a short time since I wanted some fruit chunks in the popsicles. If you'd prefer a smoother popsicle, blend the ingredients together for a longer amount of time.

3. Pour the mix into the popsicle molds. (You can refrigerate any leftovers to make a second round of popsicles.)

4. Freeze for at least 4 hours.

Or, if you don't have popsicle molds, the recipe above can also be enjoyed as a smoothie.

What's For Breakfast: Yogurt with Strawberries and Sliced Banana

The great thing about having yogurt for breakfast is that you can make it a little bit different every time. For this morning's brekkie, I added some sliced strawberries (another score from Costco -- seriously, they have some great prices on produce!) and a sliced banana to my plain Brown Cow yogurt. Since I bought the plain flavor, I added a generous squirt of agave nectar to sweeten it up a little bit. After taking this picture, I topped the yogurt with ground cinnamon and a scoop of homemade granola. Which reminds me, I need to make another batch!

What's On the Side: Citrus-Apple Salad

This fruit salad complements most meals, or could make for a light breakfast, lunch, or mid-day snack. Citrus fruits make up the base of this salad; I opted to use a grapefruit and oranges; you could choose your favorite citrus fruits. (I think my next iteration will include a tangelo or two.) The impetus to make this salad comes from one of my new favorite food blogs, Everybody Likes Sandwiches.

Citrus-Apple Salad

makes 3+ servings

1 grapefruit

2 navel oranges

2 apples (I used a Braeburn and a Pink Lady)

1 lime

1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons turbinado (raw) sugar

1. Peel and cut the citrus fruits into sections. Be sure to remove as much pith as possible. Add into a medium-sized serving bowl. (I opted to cut the sections over the bowl to capture all the grapefruit juice.

2. Cut and quarter the apples. Add to the serving bowl.

3. Gently roll the lime on a flat surface; cut into halves and add the lime juice into the fruit bowl.

4. Stir all the fruit and juices together.

5. Add the sugar. In addition to 1 T of raw sugar, I also added about 2 t of vanilla bean-lavender sugar, another Savory Spice Shop find. Stir to combine.

6. Finish off the fruit salad by adding lime zest over the top.