Rhubarb Crisp
Mark Bittman's take on rhubarb crisp — a lower-effort alternative to strawberry-rhubarb pie. Fresh rhubarb is tossed with a little sugar and citrus, then topped with a food-processor crumble of butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, oats and pecans, and baked until golden.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for greasing the pan
- 2 1/2 to 3 pounds rhubarb, trimmed, tough strings removed, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (about 5-6 cups)
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange or lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon orange or lemon zest
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, or to taste
- Pinch salt
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup pecans
Equipment
- Food processor
- 8- or 9-inch square baking or gratin dish
Directions
- Heat the oven to 375°F. Butter an 8- or 9-inch square baking or gratin dish. Toss the rhubarb with the white sugar and the citrus juice and zest, then spread it in the dish.
- In a food processor, pulse the 6 tablespoons of butter with the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt for 20-30 seconds, until it resembles small peas and just starts to clump together. Add the oats and pecans and pulse a few more times to combine.
- Crumble the topping evenly over the rhubarb and bake for 45-50 minutes, until golden and beginning to brown.
Notes
- I added some nutmeg and cardamom to the rhubarb and it was superb - just go easy on the cardamom (about 1/8 teaspoon).
- I bet this topping, which made a lovely amount for an 8x8 dish, would work well atop many other kinds of fruit!
Source: NYT Cooking (Mark Bittman)