9 June 2008
‘Tis the season…
A few weeks ago, T-boy’s preschool had their end-of-year picnic. I was excited to be assigned a dessert, since I usually end up with main dish or side. I made rhubarb crunch – ’tis the season! – but then I left it cooling on the counter. Alas!
I’ve bought rhubarb twice more since then. I intended to send some home with my mother-in-law, so she could make a rhubarb pie for someone in her church who misses rhubarb, but alas we forgot. Tomorrow is another pot luck (this time, a “moving on” ceremony for the 2nd graders in a pair of 1st/2nd grade classes), so I realized I had another opportunity to use rhubarb!
After more pondering than was probably necessary, I settled upon “Rhubarb and Raspberry Crunch” at the rhubarbinfo recipe compendium. I had close to 1.5 lbs of rhubarb, and I’m sure any raspberries I might have in the freezer were long-suffering and sad-tasting, so I left out the raspberries. For “digestive or ginger biscuits”, I used some ginger cat cookies from Trader Joe’s (cat-shaped cookies, not cookies intended for cats!).
I won’t get to try it until tomorrow night, so I can’t report on the tastiness. But Leila has been poking me to post, and I want to remind folks out there in rhubarb land to cash in on the seasonality, so here it is. (Look, Michele, no strawberries! :^)
Gingery Rhubarb Crunch
Ingredients:
100g (4oz) butter, melted
100g (4oz) rolled oats
100g (4oz) ginger cookies, coarsely crushed
50g (2oz) chopped pecans
175g (6oz) demerara (raw) sugar, divided in half
Pinch of cinnamon
650g (1.5 lb) rhubarb, cut into 2.5cm (1in) lengthsProcedure:
- Mix together butter, oats, crushed biscuits, nuts, half sugar and cinnamon.
- In another bowl mix remaining sugar and fruits together.
- Place half fruit in bottom of a 1.1 litre (2 pint) greased ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with half biscuit mixture.
- Repeat layers.
- Bake: Conventional (or convection) Oven preheated, 375F, 35 mins.
- Serve hot or cold with ice cream or cream.
Jonski Blogski 
NWHiker said,
10 June 2008 at 1:39 am
Mmmmmm…. rhubarb!
I have to tell the story of Perry and the rhubarb. Basically, he knew what it looks like -red stalks-, called it kale (huh?) and though it was red chard.
Took the child to the supermarket, he sees the red chard, thinks it’s rhubarb and starts wailing for “kale! please please please buy kale.”
I cannot tell you the odd looks I got. I mean… how many 5 year old do you see begging for kale… and their mother’s refusing? Hee.
Tricia said,
10 June 2008 at 11:56 am
That is funny! You were probably getting looks of envy – “her kid asks for kale?? Can I take him home and introduce him to my kids??”
At our first house, we had a wild patch of weeds near the back steps. A neighbor kid came over one day, pulled up this big ol’ stalk, proclaimed “I know what this is! It’s rhubarb!” and started chewing on it. Then he got a funny look on his face and stopped. It wasn’t rhubarb. (Or maybe he thought it was burdock and it wasn’t? Something like that.)
Ruth said,
10 June 2008 at 9:36 pm
I think I missed something – you left it on the counter and alas – what?
Tricia said,
10 June 2008 at 9:39 pm
Just “alas” – it didn’t go to the party. (And that party had very few desserts!) Or maybe it wasn’t an “alas” since that meant we had to eat it all at home… :^o
I managed to get some of this patch of crunch at the event tonight. It was quite tasty, although the ginger wasn’t as prominent as I might have liked – and I think it would have been better warm, with a tiny bit of vanilla ice cream.
Ruth said,
12 June 2008 at 11:09 pm
Oh! You left it on the counter when you went to the party! 😦 But yeah, that’s nice that your family got to eat it.
It sounds absolutely yummy.