The Rallying Cry of Rhubaaaarb!!

I love rhubarb. It's so odd. And when reduced to a sauce with some sugar added it's damn tasty. But it has a short growing season, and is sometimes hard to find so it's best to pounce on it when you see it!

I did that a few weeks ago. I bought 1 1/2 pounds. I was reallly excited because I knew exactly what to do with it! My Mom's rhubarb crumble was all I'd been thinking about for weeks!

It's a great recipe as it only takes half an hour, uses pantry staples and it's simplicity makes the rhubarb-y goodness the star.

Miss Linda's Rhubarb Crumble

The Jam:

2 c (a little less than a pound) rhubarb cut into 1" pieces

1/3 c sugar

pinch of salt

1/8 tsp cinnamon (I'm heavy handed with this ingredient)

1 tbs water

Bring to a boil in a saucepan. Cover and simmer until saucy, 5-8 min.

Preheat the oven to 400.

The Crumble:

3/4 c butter (ok, I've been using about half that, first out of necessity as I was out, and adding milk until you obtain the crumbly consistency works just dandy so I've been doing that since...)

1 c brown sugar

1 1/2 c flour

1 1/2 c oats (I use Old Fashioned Quaker Oats)

1 tsp baking powder

Cream the butter and sugar together then mix the rest of the ingredients. It should be a nice crumbly texture.

Put 2/3 of the mixture into your pan (9x13 or in my case two loaf pans) and pat it down so it's a nice even crust. Pour the jam over top, spread it out evenly. Crumble the rest of the crumble on top!

Now here's where I went rogue from Miss Linda's recipe. I put it in the oven. I wanted to get a nice browned crust on top and I feel it may add to the flavor of the oats. I just leave it in there for 20 min or so until browned. And to be fancy I put some nicely sliced strawberries on the top of the crumble before baking as decoration. I've also added sliced strawberries to the jam occasionally, though using less sugar may be good as they are so sweet this time of year!

Enjoy your rhubaaaaaarb!!!

P.S. My Mother has informed me that she ALWAYS bakes her crumble. Rebellion squashed. (But she never puts sliced strawberries on top so THERE!)