Early Summer Crisp

A quick mid-week post for my loyal readers, today I spontaneously decided to make a Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp, and I've decided to share the recipe. I made this up as I went, and we decided it was pretty delicious and almost guilt free. It's not too sweet, yet not too tart, and definitely full of awesome natural flavors like honey and orange zest and cardamom. It's a perfect way to kick off the summer baking season. I was able to get strawberries grown in Wooster, which I didn't consider too far away to not be local anymore. Enjoy!



Bea Kay’s Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Filling:
½ lb. thin, red rhubarb stalks, chopped into ½ in. pieces
1 quart of fresh, locally grown strawberries, washed, hulled and halved
½ cup white sugar
¼ cup locally produced honey
1 TBS. freshly grated orange zest
2 TBS. cornstarch

Topping:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled hot cereal mix (barley, rye, wheat and oats) or 1 cup rolled oats
¼ cup dark brown sugar
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. allspice
¼ tsp. cardamom
Pinch of salt
¼ cup or half a stick of cold butter, cut into ½ cubes
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease or butter a glass or ceramic 9x9in square baking dish.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine rhubarb, strawberries, white sugar, honey, orange zest and cornstarch. Toss together until well mixed and all berries and rhubarb are coated. Pour into greased baking dish.

3. In another medium mixing bowl, combine whole wheat flour, hot cereal mix, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, and pinch of salt, mix well. With a pastry blender, cut in the ¼ cup of butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Pour in 1 tsp of vanilla and mix with pastry blender until incorporated. Pour evenly over berry mixture.

4. Bake for 30-45 minutes until golden and crunchy on top and bubbly underneath.