Tangy & Sweet Summer Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp Recipe

Summer is all about the strawberries in our house, and since I was a kid I’ve been obsessed with the strawberry and rhubarb combo. We grew rhubarb in our vegetable garden when I was growing up, and it is one of those random old-fashioned plants that is making a big comeback in restaurant and home kitchens across the country. There is just something so satisfying about the blend of tangy and sweet in a rhubarb dessert, and this Summer Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp recipe is no exception.

Rhubarb by itself has a tart, woodsy flavor. Because I love it so much, I’ve learned to cook quite a few things with rhubarb. It’s remarkably versatile. Did you know you can make rhubarb BBQ sauce or even rhubarb-tomato soup? Not sure about either of those, but let’s talk about this delicious and easy Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp recipe.

This recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp is one for those of us that don’t enjoy cooking complicated dishes. It’s remarkably easy and no-fuss, and I was able to throw it together in a matter of minutes. So good that even the kids ask for more, my Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp recipe was passed down to me from my mom.

Rhubarb is an Odd Plant

Although rhubarb is technically a vegetable, it’s often classified as a fruit because it is usually eaten as a dessert. If you’ve ever tasted it raw it’s disgustingly sour, so no wonder cooks add sugar to the mix in order to make rhubarb palatable. It grows as stalks with big fan-shaped leaves on the ends, and the leaves themselves are poisonous. Weird that someone figured out to eat the stem and not the leaf, but hey. History.

All I know is that I love it, it grows ripe in the Summer, and it tastes amazing with strawberries. So amazing that if it on any menu anywhere, I will order it. Guess I’ve become a rhubarb connoisseur of sorts.

Summer Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp Recipe

My mom’s recipe was passed to me in a stack of handwritten recipe cards. Mixed in with recipes for dishes like Fried Calamari and Better-Than-Sex Cake, this little recipe card stands the test of time. It was fantastic when she made it for me as a kid, and it’s fantastic now.

Serves 4

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Eating time: About 5 seconds flat

Ingredients:

For the topping:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 6 ounces cold butter, cut into cubes
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2/3 cup brown sugar

For the fruit:

• 2 cups strawberries, quartered
• 2 cups rhubarb, diced into 1-inch squares
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 1/4 white sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, white sugar, butter and cinnamon until butter appears in bits.
3. Add brown sugar and mix until crumbly. (Careful not to overmix or you’ll end with cookie dough!) Put in refrigerator to chill until needed.
4. In another bowl, toss together fruit, flour, corn starch and sugar.
5. Fill four 1-cup ramekins with fruit and pack down.
6. Pile dough topping over fruit firmly and evenly.
7. Place in oven to bake for 25 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 325° and bake for another 15 minutes.
8. Remove and let cool for at least 10 minutes.

Serving Suggestions

Duh. Top the still-warm crisp with vanilla ice cream. Nothing more need be said.

More Dessert Favorites

If you are into making desserts, here are a couple of our favorite dessert recipes:

Bourbon Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe

Pistachio Pudding Cake